The Life of a Slave
by Abdella
Summary: She's a Jedi. He's a gladiator. She protects sentients. He kills them. Her name is Barriss. His name is Ethan. Despite their differences, they and Barriss' master, Luminara, might be the only hope that the slaves of 1313 have anymore. But will something else, besides a revolution, be created when they light the fuse? OC/Barriss... AU...
1. Chapter 1: My Life

The Life of a Slave

Chapter 1: My Life

**Author's Note: This book will written from one view and one view, only. This chapter is basically a snippet of what the main protagonist's life is like. I am hoping to gain some input on this book and constructive criticism will be appreciated. Please read and, if you feel like it, review. Enjoy.**

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**_"The way I was brought up in the arena was if you didn't kill people, they killed you. Simple as that."  
_-Ethan Dabria**

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I let the lids of my eyes slowly roll down, shutting me off from vision. Feeling the adrenaline and pure strength pump through my veins, I inhaled the scent of dried blood from my previous bouts. I let my heart thrash against my chest like an animal begging for its master to release it.

The pound of my heart settled down though, instead becoming a slow, steady beat as I commanded it to be. Still having my eyes shut, I listened to the announcer give a "warm welcome" to the people of Level 1313. I tuned him out once more and let my ears slowly shut off all other noises until not even the beat of my heart could be in my mind.

No, instead I listened to myself.

_You are a warrior._

_You are __**the**__ warrior._

_You are the warrior that survives._

_You are the __**only **__warrior that survives._

I opened my eyes as the door separating me from the arena opened. My eyes let sound fill my mind as I walked out into the dust filled and blood caked arena floor. The crowd was so deafening and barbaric that you could barely hear the announcer say, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Durasteel!"

Loud is an understatement when talking about the audiences of the Gladiator's Playground. They all cheered and waved towels and articles of clothing around. A picture of my scarred face came up on a holo-screen and I raised my eyebrows. It hadn't been there the last time I was here.

_Huh, they really love to advertise people before their death, _I thought, not that I would ever lose or, at least, thought about it at that point.

I gave a simple nod to the south section of the crowd, yet only that was needed to drive the girls in that section wild. They screamed in joy and blew kisses at me. I scoffed and thought,_ They love me, yet they know nothing about me. Oh, the irony…_

Still I kept my face stony and watched my opponent walk out of his own entrance. He was met with much "booing" and insults from the spectators and a smug smile found its way onto my face. Because after all, they reserved their cheers for their favorite gladiator, which was me, of course.

I observed the man before me. He had a silver breastplate and a white long-sleeved shirt under that. More silver armor coated his legs and he had a vibroaxe attached to his back. His face was uncovered, revealing a male Twi'Lek in his late twenties. I smirked and thought, _That fool. His armor will slow him down. _And I had learned this lesson before, as well. Now, I settled for gauntlets, pants, and sword.

I felt remorse and pity for the man that stood before me. I had been undefeated for the past ten years and I planned for things to stay that way, but that didn't mean that I intended to spare his life.

"Let the match begin!" the announcer exclaimed, causing the crowd to erupt in applause.

The challenger advanced towards me, but I kept calm and watched his eyes.

_He wants to strike me across the shoulder._

_No! He changed his mind…_

_He wants to disable me so…_

_The legs._

The Twi'Lek roared a battle cry and used his vibroaxe to try to cut off my legs, yet he only succeeded in embedding his axe into the dusty floor. I executed a back-hand spring and landed a good ten feet away. He stumbled when he tried to pull his axe out of the ground though, and I took advantage by running towards him, grabbing his collar, and smashing my knee into his face.

The Twi'Lek cried out in pain and stumbled back a few steps. I flashed a grin at the crowd and they all laughed, knowing that I was just putting on a show for them. I let him recuperate for a moment and he growled at me. He pulled a dagger out of his armor and slashed me across the shoulder and recoiled and examined the wound.

_Hmm… not too deep and just enough to give the crowd a show. Just how I like my wounds…_

The Twi'Lek seemed proud of his achievement and laughed at me. I narrowed my eyes and thought, _That fool, thinking that he has won when he has only succeeded in fueling my adrenaline and strength…_

While he was basking in his so-called glory, I sucker punched him in the face and roundhouse kicked him in his ribcage. He made an "oof-ing" sound and recoiled from the wound.

Yet I wasted no time. Grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him around, I held him in a choke hold. He gasped and sputtered for breath while I looked to the crowd for approval. They all roared and held their hands in a thumbs-down fashion. The Twi'Lek sobbed and I felt his tears drop onto my arms.

And I hesitated for a split-second. Then, I twisted his neck and heard a snap.

He went limp and I dropped him onto the dusty floor. The crowd went silent for a split second as I grabbed the chain that was wrapped around his neck. Yanking it off, I looked at it for a moment.

Then, I raised it up in the air and smirked at the crowd. They roared in applause and the announcer came down to raise my hand in the air.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Durasteel! Our still reigning champion! How do you feel about winning your twentieth tournament, Durasteel?"

I smirked and replied, "I'm just happy to give the crowd a good show."

But in the midst of the applause and laughter, I felt the shroud of darkness come into my heart. I was lying when I said that I liked serving the crowd. In fact, I hated their guts for coming here. They were scum to me and I hated feeding their fetishes for violence.

Yet I was a slave to the crowd. They controlled my every move inside and outside of the arena, whether it be food or clothing or staying alive. It was a matter of life or death when it came to whether or not the liked me.

But I don't like being a slave to the crowd. I don't like being a slave to anyone, yet I still live that way.

My master makes me hide behind a stupid name to conceal the real me and the crowd knows this. Yet they still let it go on.

But you don't know what I'm talking about, do you? You don't know my entire story yet, so you have no idea about my suffering and my siblings' suffering. Or my parents' suffering.

So… here goes.

My name, **my real name**, is Ethan Dabria, son of Kael and Relana Dabria, warriors of Mandalore. I am a slave and I live in Level 1313 of Coruscant, the capital of a "Slave-Free" Republic.

This is my story.


	2. Chapter 2: Where It Started

The Life of a Slave

Chapter 2: Where It Started

**Author's Note: It has come to my attention that I gained very few reviews on my first chapter. I would like to ask that if you visit this story that you leave a review. I work very hard on my chapters and would prefer that you give me advice, criticism, or compliments on my work. I'm not commanding you to do so. I'm just asking in a very commanding tone. Enjoy, and may the Force be with you.**

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**_"There will always be a reason that you meet people. Either you need them to change your life or you will change theirs."  
_-Anonymous**

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Well, when I was still a slave, there really wasn't much to my life. I was nineteen years old and trained for the arena everyday. I had two sisters, Jadella and Jacinda, and three brothers, Jace, Jaakan and Jaden.

I had black hair and gold eyes and was a pretty silent and calculating guy. I was about six feet and two inches, with the body of a god, or at least that's what the girls in 1313 said.

My parents were killed in front of me when I was ten years old at a slave trade when my mother was separated from us. My dad tried to rescue her and… let's just say that they tried to escape and didn't succeed.

My oldest sister, Jadella, had become the leader of our family. She worked as a mechanic for our master and maintained a very calm and collected personality.

But there were times when she was in an emotional crisis. One of those said times was when we discovered that my younger brother, Jaakan, had been cutting himself since he was ten years old. He was twelve when we found out and we had relieved him of his knife and depression when we found out.

Another time was when my other brother, Jace, Jaakan's twin, lost his arm when he was helping out Jadella in the shop. He was restoring an old swoop bike engine when it turned on and shredded Jace's arm. It was rough on us because he couldn't work in the shop anymore and that meant that our master didn't give us as much food or clothing. Jace built a cybernetic arm a two years later though, when he was eleven.

But the biggest toll on everyone was when my youngest sister, Jacinda, was raped in an alley at the age of thirteen by five men. A month later, we had found out that she was pregnant and our master helped us in no way at all. He didn't even give us any baby clothes or formula when the child was born. Anyway, the baby was named Kael, after our father.

So, my family was pretty messed up. I say was because that's all in the past now. It was like that a couple months ago, before the Jedi came and turned my life upside down.

I suppose I'll tell you. After all, you don't get to hear a story as interesting as mine everyday, now do you?

Anyway, it started when Barriss encountered a cranky vendor in Slaver's Square.

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Three Months Earlier

"Hey, big brother. Can we get some chocolate at the candy store?" Jaden asked me as we walked along the streets of the slave quarters. The little guy was practically the spitting image of our father, just like the rest of us, excluding me of course. He had brown hair that was starting to grow down into his eyes, blue eyes that had the look of innocence in them, and of course, tan skin.

I gave him a sad smile and replied, "Sorry, Jaden. We don't have enough credits to get any chocolate today."

"Why not?"

I grimaced. "Why not" was the phrase that every slave child to ever live in 1313 used when they didn't get something they wanted. I should know. I used it everyday of my life when I still had my innocence and virginity. "Killing virginity", that is. There's a difference between that and... the sexual kind.

"Because we don't make enough money," I replied, still walking and not meeting my brother's pleading eyes.

He humphed and crossed his arms over his chest and said, "When are we going to get paid more?"

I sighed. "I wish I knew the answer to that, buddy. I wish I knew."

We walked in silence for the rest of the way until we got to the vendor's. I grabbed the groceries while Jaden talked to the smugglers by the club. I overheard him asking about the angels on Iego and chuckled a little. "Jaden, it's time to go!"

He groaned in disappointment and said, "Bye, Mr. Smugglers!" and walked off. I saw the smugglers laugh and wave goodbye to him.

I smiled when he returned to my side and asked, "Did you find out anything about the angels?"

"Well, they're actually called Diathim and they live on the moons of Iego! Did you know that they can actually grow to be nine feet tall? And they have six wings!"

Laughing, we talked about the Diathim until I heard arguing in a dim corner of an abandoned square. Well, more like someone was yelling at someone and the other person trying to get them to calm down. "Hey, Jaden. Stay here for a minute."

He complied without argument, allowing me to peek behind a corner and spot a Besalisk arguing with a Mirialan female, obviously a teenager that was far away from home. She wore black robes with a dark blue cloak that had the hood pulled up. From what I could see, she had a slender body and was about eight inches shorter than me.

"Sir, I didn't take anything from you," she said in a calm voice. Her accent sounded kind of Coruscanti like my friend, Yolanda. She was a Mirialan, too.

The Besalisk gave a laugh. "You little bitch, I know that you stole food from me! And down here in 1313, we don't take kindly to thieves like you!" His tone was becoming dangerously tight, indicating a threat.

"But I didn't take anything from you!" The Mirialan's voice seemed to raise an octave and she started taking a defensive position.

The vendor laughed again and said, "We also don't like liars, girl! And do you know what we do with scum like you?"

He started to pull out a vibroblade and the girl started to reach for something on her belt, but she didn't need to do so because I had already sprung into action. Grabbing the man's wrist, I twisted it, making him release the blade. He hissed in pain and tried to punch me with his lower right arm, but I kneed him in the groin. He roared in pain and tried to grab his blade again, but I used all of my strength to heave him into his stand. He practically went through it and he landed with a crash.

The entire thing had probably lasted about six seconds.

I turned to look at the Mirialan, who was speechless. Her face held the look of someone who had just seen a ghost, which she probably thought she had, considering I had been moving very fast.

I smirked and said, "You're welcome."

She closed her open mouth and gave a nervous laugh. "Thank you. It's just... you seemed to come out of the shadows. I didn't see you coming when you did... this." She gestured to the broken Besalisk.

"Yeah well, you're welcome again," I replied. She gave a soft smile and started looking around like she was nervous. "You're a Jedi, aren't you?"

She whipped around and asked, "How did you know?"

"When the Besalisk started to attack you, you reached for something on your belt. Also, I can see a padawan braid near your ear, despite your hood." I smirked again, admiring the fact that I had been able to identify a Jedi... well, at least an apprentice.

She looked around and said in a hushed tone, "Listen, you can't tell any-"

"I wasn't planning on it, Mirialan," I said, chuckling a little. The Mirialan seemed to relax a little and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, what were you doing around here, anyway?" she asked, her deep blue eyes looking up to meet my gold ones. "Stalking teenage girls?"

"No, I only do that on the weekends!" I said in mock anger. "Nah, I was getting groceries with my little brother, Jaden."

As if on cue, Jaden poked his head around the corner and asked in a loud whisper, "Can I come out, now?"

I smiled and said, "Bring the groceries."

Jaden came around the corner, arms holding the bags and smile on his face. "Did you kick the bad man's butt?"

Smirking, I nodded and took the groceries from Jaden. "So, what would a Jedi be doing in this part of 1313?"

"Oh, I'm waiting for my master. She went out to find a suite of some kind, but she was due back here a few minutes ago." The Mirialan checked her com watch and sighed. "I honestly don't know what's holding her up."

"Barriss, I'm sorry for being late. I ran into some thugs..." An older Mirialan had just rounded a corner and she had trailed off when she saw Jaden and I talking to the other Mirialan, who I presumed to be Barriss.

The older Mirialan had black robes like Barriss and a black headdress that had two thick black strips of cloth running down either side of the headdress. She spoke in the same Coruscanti accent as Barriss did, but her tone held more of a confident and patient zing to it.

"It's alright, Master," Barriss replied, her master drawing closer to our little group. "I was just talking to..."

I realized that she needed a name so I replied, "Dabria. Ethan Dabria." I held out a hand to the older Mirialan. She took it and shook it. "And you are?"

"Luminara Unduli. This is Barriss Offee. I'm assuming that you've figured out that we're Jedi?" She released my hand.

I nodded. "Yes, Ms. Unduli."

"Might I inquire how you and my padawan met?"

Barriss opened her mouth to answer, but I answered, "Your padawan had a misunderstanding with a local vendor." I gestured to the Besalisk that was still lying unconscious amidst the rubble of his stand. "The Besalisk was about to attack your padawan when I detained him. Though, I am positive that Ms. Offee could've taken him down by herself. After all, she is a Jedi."

"In training," Barriss added, looking at her master.

Ms. Unduli seemed content with this answer and said, "Well, come on, Barriss. We must find a place to sleep."

"But you can't go!" Jaden piped up, his voice an octave higher than normal. Ms. Unduli and Barriss both raised their eyebrows and got ready to cover Jaden's mouth if he said anything stupid. "We're having red gourd soup tonight and my sisters make it very good! We're having uj'alayi, too!"

"What's uj'alayi?" Barriss asked, curiosity evident in her tone.

"It's a type of Mandalorian cake. Jaden, I'm sorry, but the Jedi probably have important Republic business to tend to." I placed a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged it off and exclaimed, "Jadella said to never leave pretty girls on the street or they might get hurt!" I saw the Jedi turn a dark shade of green at this comment. "Can't we keep them? Please!"

I opened my mouth to protest, but by the look on his face I knew that he had me beat. His eyes held a determined look and I knew that he would be mad with me if I didn't at least try to get the Jedi to come over for dinner. I sighed and replied, "That depends." I turned around and met Ms. Unduli's gaze. "Do the Jedi want to be kept?"

Ms. Unduli seemed to contemplate this for a moment. "I suppose that dinner would be fine. Padawan, do you want to join them?"

"I would be delighted, Master," Barriss said, smiling softly as she followed us down the alley towards our quarters.


	3. Chapter 3: Dinner with the Jedi

The Life of a Slave

Chapter 3: Dinner with the Jedi

**Author's Note: I would like to go on record here and say that it wasn't my fault that I couldn't update. My computer charger kind of exploded when I was in the middle of making this chapter so it took me forever to find a new charger. Anyway, enjoy.**

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**_"I'd learned that some things are best kept secret."  
-_Nicholas Sparks_, __Dear John_**

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"Jadella, we have visitors!" I called out as the four of us walked into my family's little hovel. "They're Jedi, too!"

"Jedi?" Jadella came out of the kitchen holding Kael and feeding him formula from a bottle. "And here I was thinking that I had seen everything in 1313."

She handed Kael to me, who squirmed in my arms and reached out to pat me on the mouth. I smiled and said in a goofy voice, "And how is my nephew doing today?"

"Causing trouble for his mother," Jadella said, rolling her eyes at my baby talk. "Jacinda was feeling tired so I took him off her hands." She held out her flour-stained hand to Ms. Unduli. "Hi. My name's Jadella Dabria. And I'll assume that you two are the Jedi."

Ms. Unduli took it and shook it. "Hello. My name is Luminara Unduli and this is my padawan, Barriss Offee." They separated hands and Jadella looked at me inquisitively.

"And just how did you meet them, Ethan?"

"Barriss ran into that cranky vendor near Slaver's Square and they had a misunderstanding. I saved her from being beaten and I invited them for dinner." Jadella nodded in understanding.

"You know, you should be thankful that Ethan saved you, Ms. Offee. People down here are a little harder to deal with than your regular scum of the galaxy," Jadella said, brushing her hands off on her pants.

"What do you mean?" Barriss asked.

Jadella gave a sharp bark of laugh and smirked. "Well, if you're planning on staying down here long, you'll figure it out. Anyway, Jaden go wake up your sister and get the boys from the garage. Ethan, show our guests to the table."

She took Kael out of my arms and laid him down in the small crib near our rooms. I said, "Alright, Ms. Unduli. This way."

The Jedi followed me to our small dining room where Jadella had laid out the red gourd soup and uj'alayi, followed by some bread. I seated our guests and sat across from Barriss.

"So, is this all Mandalorian food?" Barriss asked, raising her eyebrows at the delicacies.

I nodded. "Yes, it is. You see, our family has Mandalorian roots so we like to fancy ourselves as Mandalorians."

"Where are you really from, though?"

"I was actually born on Corellia while my sister was born on Alderaan. The rest of my siblings were born on Florrum."

"I thought that Florrum was infested with pirates," Ms. Unduli replied, curiosity peaking in her tone.

I laughed nervously. "Yeah well, my family was captured by pirates a few weeks after I had turned three. My parents had the rest of my siblings when we served the pirates."

"Wait, you're a slave?" Barriss asked.

My face morphed into a glare. "I'm a _**person, **_not a slave, Jedi." My voice had probably sounded menacing to the Jedi, but I didn't care at the moment. Slave was a term that I particularly despised and to hear someone call me that fueled the anger and rage that I felt towards slavers and pro-slavery individuals.

Barriss' face changed into an expression of fear and she said, "I'm sorry, Ethan."

I opened my mouth but instead of words, a loud sigh came out. I ran a hand through my shaggy black hair and said, "I'm sorry about my tone, Barriss. I'm not particularly fond of the term "slave"."

"We can see that," Ms. Unduli replied, her face holding surprise and astonishment at my sudden mood changes. "So if you were… servants to the pirates, how did you end up on Coruscant?"

"The pirates saw that they could make a decent amount of credits off of us so they sold us a few months after Jaden had been born. We ended up here in 1313," I concluded, watching the door, hoping that one of my siblings would walk in. Whenever I told the story of my family's past, there was always the question about my parents. I mean, most people already understood that our parents were dead, but that didn't stop others from asking. It made me wonder at the time if they did it for fun, to see our reactions to the question.

But Barriss and Ms. Unduli didn't ask about them. Instead Ms. Unduli nodded her head sympathetically and Barriss said, "It must've been hard for your family to adapt to being servants."

I didn't say anything, just rubbed my temples. Suddenly, a voice asked from the doorway, "Who are the Mirialans?"

I looked over there to see my brothers, Jaakan and Jace. They wore grease stained pants and gray t-shirts. Jace wore a long, black glove to cover up his cybernetic hand. Their hair was matted down and they both had grease covering their faces.

"This is Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and her padawan, Barriss Offee," I replied.

Jaakan didn't seem too interested in the Jedi, but Jace's eyes got a twinkle in them. "Are they here to save us?"

Barriss asked, "Save you?"

Jace gave her a quirky smile. "You know! Save us from this hell!"

"Jace, language!" I reprimanded him. He immediately looked down and started twiddling his thumbs. "I'm sorry about his tongue. He's been around some bad influences in his life."

Luminara shrugged. "It's quite alright. We've been working around clones for the past three years so you learn to disregard what comes out of their mouths, especially profanities."

I smiled and gave a chuckle. "Anyway, you two go get cleaned up for dinner."

"Why? We always eat in our shop uniforms at dinner," Jaakan said, his face still expressing a scowl. Then again, he had had a scowl on his face since the day of his birth thirteen years ago.

"We have guests over right now, and Mom and Dad told us that we should always try to look presentable," I said. I mean, we didn't exactly get many guests when Mom and Dad were still alive, but if we ever did then we would know what to do.

Jaakan smiled without warmth. "I don't think that they have jurisdiction over us anymore, Ethan," he responded, his voice full of bitterness and sorrow.

"Jaakan!" Jadella exclaimed, having just walked through the doorway. She was carrying a pitcher of water and her face was angry red from hearing Jaakan's outburst. "You will not act this way when we have guests over."

"Why shouldn't I? After all, they're from the Republic and they did nothing about when we were sold as slaves to the scum that we call our master! They should be the slaves, not us!" His eyes turned wild as he raised a scarred arm towards the Jedi and pointed at them as if they were animals at a petting zoo.

I immediately got up grabbed Jaakan by the shirt. "Listen here, brother. The Jedi are the only reason that we actually have a galaxy right now, so I suggest that you respect them."

He growled at me and I smelled something in his breath. _Alcohol…_

"Have you been drinking?" I asked, my hold on his shirt tightening.

He didn't reply. Instead, he burped in my face and sneered at me.

"Jace, take your twin to the bedroom and make sure that he stays in there." Jace complied and grabbed Jaakan by the arm. They disappeared around the corner and I rubbed my forehead.

"He drinks?" Ms. Unduli asked, compassion and emotion showing in her voice for the first time.

Drinking was something common in 1313 for a lot of twelve and thirteen year olds. I mean, it was tolerated around our house whenever Jadella, Jacinda, or I had a drink at night, but for the younger ones to drink…

"I honestly don't know what about him, anymore," I said, taking a seat once again. "He's been like that for a year, now. We've been hoping that he would grow out of that phase, but it's become apparent that he needs professional help."

"Then why don't you get him professional help?" Barriss questioned.

"Because there's no professional _anything _down here in 1313. Only bounty hunters, slavers, and prostitutes," Jadella said, sighing a little and placing the water in the middle of the table. She took a cloth out of her pocket and poured a little water on it. "You know, some kids think that living like a poor person or a slave or something isn't that hard, but they don't know anything about the emotional turmoil or scarring that it does to a person's mind." She started wiping a stain on the table with the rag.

She laughed without humor and added, "I would like to see some of those Senators try and survive down here. They'd be dead within hours."

I smirked and caught a glimpse of Barriss and Ms. Unduli's bewildered faces. They probably hadn't heard someone insult the Senators as we had. Barriss said, "But I thought that you were pro-Republic."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. The Republic and all sounds good to us, including the Jedi, but the Senate we have a problem with. You see, the Senate over the past few years has become increasingly corrupt. I mean, you turn on the HoloNet and there's something about how Nute Gunray attacked Naboo or about how a group of clones was bribed by the Banking Clan to smuggle droid parts across the galaxy." I took a breath after my long explanation.

"You know about that?" Ms. Unduli asked, surprised at how well informed I was.

I smiled and said, "I may not be able to read or write, but I like to stay well informed of Republic and Confederacy endeavors. And despite my illiteracy, I probably understand politics better than seventy-five percent of the Galactic Senate."

"You seem pretty sure of yourself," Barriss responded, raising an eyebrow at my statement.

I smiled at her. "Well, I try to take pride in what little I can actually comprehend. Politics is one of such things."

Our eyes met across the table and for the first time, I noticed how blue they were. And by blue, I mean _**blue.**_ They resembled the color of electric blue, which was an interesting color to find in people and Barriss certainly seemed like an interesting person, even though I had only know her for about a half hour. But as I stared into them, I saw a flash of nervousness in them and she looked away. My smirk morphed into a frown and my eyebrows creased, expressing sadness.

Jadella seemed to notice it and she said, "Well, I'm fixing to start distributing food, so if anyone has anything else, ah… _**intriguing **_to add, you had better mention it right now."

"How could I _**not **_have anything intriguing to say?" I asked sarcastically. "After all, I'm a very intriguing person!" I brushed some hair out of my face and smiled.

Jadella laughed and the two Jedi smiled humorously. Jadella placed the plates at their designated spots and Jaden and Jacinda walked in with the latter holding Kael. I smiled softly at the sight of my nephew. He was holding his small Wookie toy in his hands and laughed and giggled.

Jacinda placed him in his high chair and ruffled his hair. The frown on her face shaped into a sad smile and the worry lines on her face undid themselves. You see, Kael, if you didn't already know, was the result of Jacinda's rape. When Jacinda found out that she was pregnant, she did what most girls did, which was cry. But she decided to keep it. My sister was kind of like a Jedi, in the sense that she had compassion for all life forms, and fetuses were included. So after nine months of headaches, morning sickness and mood swings, Kael Revan Dabria was introduced into the world.

And some might say that he was a mistake or a bastard, but to Jacinda, he was the best thing that ever happened.

"Did you get the baby formula, Ethan?" Jacinda asked, taking a seat next to Kael, who was still fiddling with his Wookie.

"Yeah, I did. It's in the cabinet above the stove," I replied.

Jacinda went off to the kitchen, while Jadella came back with more food. She set it down on the table and said, "Alright, everyone. I feel as though we should probably start eating now, just in case the lights decide to cut off again."

Barriss laughed nervously, as if she didn't know whether or not it was a joke. Jace came back into the room and took a seat in between Kael and Ms. Unduli. Jadella took her seat at the head of the table like she usually did and Jaden sat down next to me. The seat where Jaakan regularly sat in remained empty, as he was in his room.

Jadella started by passing around a basket of bread and then, the bowl of red gourd soup. Soon enough, we were all eating contently.

"So, why are you Jedi down here?" Jadella asked after a few minutes in silence.

Barriss looked up from her red gourd soup and Ms. Unduli took a sip of her water. "The Council had been getting reports of slave trades going on in the lower districts of Coruscant, so they sent us to investigate," Luminara replied.

"I'm sorry, but the Council?" I asked, not familiar with the term.

"The Jedi High Council. They're the governing body of the Jedi Order and make most decisions about proposed missions," Barriss said, while she wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"Ah."

"Anyway, we were looking for a place to stay when we ran into Ethan. From there, he invited us to dinner and here we are," Ms. Unduli finished.

Jadella nodded and leaned back in her seat. Her eyes moved at a fast pace and she seemed to be calculating the risks of something. Her eyes finally ceased movement and a small smile came upon her face.

"How would you like to stay with us?"

I had been drinking my water when I said this and I immediately did a spit-take onto the food. Jacinda started choking on her uj'alayi and Jace stared at Jadella with wild eyes.

"WHAT?" the three of us said in unison, all of us standing up in shock. The only person who didn't was Jaden, who sat in his chair with a full-toothed grin on his face.

Jadella, who had stood up as well, looked at the Jedi for an answer. Barriss and Ms. Unduli, on the other hand, were muttering something to each other in some other language. Barriss sounded a little persistent, while Ms. Unduli kept her usual authoritative tone. Then, Barriss whisper-shouted something that didn't sound so friendly. Ms. Unduli sighed and said something to the younger Jedi, which made Barriss smile a little.

Ms. Unduli said, "My padawan has convinced me to take you up on your offer, considering the fact that there probably isn't a Jedi-friendly hotel around here. So, if wouldn't be too much of a bother, we'll accept that offer. But out of curiosity, why _did _you ask?"

"Well, you're Jedi and even Jedi need help at times. And there have been some, err… _problems _in this district," Jadella said, voice expressing anxiety.

Ms. Unduli raised her eyebrows. "What kind of problems?"

I glanced at Jadella, who was looking at me expectantly. I shook my head and mouthed, _No_.

She nodded to me and said to the Jedi, "We'll talk about that after dinner."

Jaden pulled on my sleeve and asked, "Talk about what?"

My expression saddened and I whispered back, "It's none of your concern, Jaden. Go back to eating your food."

I turned back to the Jedi and asked, "How long will you be staying here?"

Ms. Unduli scrunched her eyebrows together. "We're not quite sure, yet. This could take months, but we hope to have this done as soon as possible. The slave trades have been thwarting the Jedi Order's grasp for quite a while and the rate of these trades have been rising considerably since the start of the Clone Wars."

"Why do you think this has been happening?" Jadella questioned, taking a bite of her cake.

"The slavers got the idea of using the war for cover, since the Republic has had their hands full with the Separatists," Barriss answered. "But my friend, Ahsoka, saw glimpses of slaves being transported down into the Underworld and she reported it to the Council. And that, coupled with frequent reports of slave trades, contributed to the Council's decision to send us."

I scrunched my eyebrows together, confused at the sudden haste of the Jedi Order. "Why the sudden rush of the Republic to put a stop to slavery?"

"We realized that we had neglected the problem far too long, especially after a mission to Zygerria," Ms. Unduli responded.

"We as in the entire Republic, or we as in the-Senate-didn't-care-but-the-Jedi-Order-sent-help-anyway?" I asked, giving a sad smile.

"The latter, I'm afraid," Ms. Unduli said with a sad smile.

I sighed and scratched the top of my head. "See, this is why the Separatists left the Republic. Too many corrupt and business-focused people in place of power. They don't even care about the people they represent!"

"Ethan, calm down." Jadella's tone gave off a warning bell and I knew that I needed to shut my mouth before I said something else. "Save it for afterwards."

I nodded slightly and said, "It's getting late. Jaden, Jace, go get ready for bed."

"Do you need any help cleaning up?" Jace asked, always the first one to respond with aid.

I shook my head. "Jacinda and I have this covered. Just bring your brother some food and tell him to get ready."

They both left the room and Jacinda proceeded to pick up Kael and her plate. "I suppose that I'll wash dishes and put Kael to bed. Then we can talk about sleeping arrangements and certain… _**events **_that have transpired around here."

Jadella nodded to her and asked the Jedi, "Would you like to join us in living room, Ms. Unduli? Barriss?"

Ms. Unduli nodded. "I suppose that we could talk about sleeping arrangements and this _**problem **_that you mentioned earlier."

I stood up and asked, "May I take your dishes?"

Ms. Unduli replied, "That won't be necessary, Ethan. Barriss take our plates to the kitchen and come back to the living room."

Barriss gave a curt nod and picked up her and Ms. Unduli's plates. She went into the kitchen and disappeared from my line of sight.

I nodded to Ms. Unduli as well, and took the other plates. When I walked into the kitchen, I was met with the sound of running water and grumbling about lack of warmth. I smirked and said to my sister, Jacinda, "Maybe if we didn't live in 1313, we would have hot water."

She gave me a playful shove and said, "Maybe if my brother would help me with the dishes, I wouldn't be so pissed about it."

"Sorry, sis," I replied and handed her the dishes. "Make sure not to miss a spot."

I smirked down at her and she rolled her eyes, but I knew that she was trying to stifle a laugh. I went into the living room and asked Jadella, "Should I bring in something to drink?"

She nodded and I went back into the kitchen. I reached into the cabinet above the oven and pulled out five glasses and a bottle of ale. I loaded all of it onto a tray and went back into the living room. I placed it on the small table in the middle of the chairs and asked, "Would anyone like some?"

Jadella nodded, yet Ms. Unduli raised her eyebrows at the drink. I noticed this and added, "Don't worry, Ms. Unduli. It's low alcohol. We wouldn't dare get a Jedi drunk."

She replied, "I suppose that I will have some. And please, call me Luminara."

I smiled softly and poured four glasses, one for myself, Jadella, Jacinda, and Luminara. I looked at Barriss to see if she wanted some, yet she remained silent. But she did look at the bottle of ale curiously, as if she wondered what it would be like to try some.

I apparently, wasn't the only one to notice this, as Luminara raised her eyebrows at her padawan. "You may have some if you want, Barriss."

Barriss shook her head and reclined in her chair, keeping her legs crossed and a professional look on her face. But I saw the flash of disappointment in her eyes. She wanted to try it, try something new, but she was afraid of what her master would think, despite Luminara had given her permission.

She was fearful. It's weird to see a Jedi, the people that protect others, being fearful.

Still, I set the ale down and sat back in my own chair. Jacinda came out of the kitchen drying off her hands. She sat down next to Jadella took her own glass of ale.

At first, no one really said anything. I coughed once or twice and my sisters sipped on their drinks. Luminara took a swig from her glass and Barriss looked around discreetly.

"I suppose that we should explain why we want you two to stay here," I said, breaking the silence and causing everyone to look at me. I sighed and brushed the hair out of my eyes. _**I really need to get a haircut, **_I thought, realizing how irritating my hair was becoming. "Lately, a lot of children and young teens have been found dead in alleys and in abandoned buildings. Jace and Jaakan found someone themselves when they were walking around.

"We don't like knowing that there's someone out there hunting people. I despise it even more when it's children they're hunting. We were hoping that the Jedi might be able to do something about it." I leaned forward in my chair, waiting for Luminara's answer.

She frowned and said, "I'm sorry Ethan, but we're here on the slavery issue, not to track down a killer. I wish that we could help."

"You still can," Jadella said, her voice full of hope. "We're **_positive _**that the man or woman doing this is connected to slavers."

"How so?" Barriss asked.

Jacinda interjected, using her timid voice, "We've found traces of expensive poison and pieces of cortosis in the children's bodies. The killer would have to have support from wealthy people to own his kind of arsenal. The only people down here with that kind of money are the slavers and crime lords."

"So, if we find the killer-" Luminara started, but I interrupted.

"You find the slavers and proof of slave trades." I smiled and added, "It's not so complicated when you think about it."

Luminara smirked and said, "I suppose not."

"Well, now that we have that matter out of the way, why not we hear a little about the Jedi Order?" Jadella asked, smiling and leaning back into the couch.

Barriss exchanged a look with Luminara, who shrugged as if saying, **_Why__ not?_**

"Well, being a Jedi isn't as easy as most people think," Barriss began. "It requires patience and discipline, which are considered to be some of our most important principles. We're taught from a young age that without dedication to the Code, we'll fall to the Dark Side, which is our enemy, if you will."

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "The Code?"

Luminara answered, "It's the set of rules and regulations that we abide by. It's supposed to keep us on the right path."

Jadella raised her eyebrows. "Would you recite it for us?"

Luminara nodded and looked to Barriss, who said, "It's goes like this. **_There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serentity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the_**_ **Force."**_ She took a breath and sat back in her chair.

I stroked my chin and sat my elbows on my knees. "Explain to me the first line. The one about no emotion, yet peace."

Luminara replied, "It entails that Jedi have to put aside any and all personal feelings and become one with the Force. Basically, we cannot form attachments or start relationships with others."

"So, even after you save the galaxy from the bad guys, you can't get married or anything?" Jacinda asked.

"Precisely," Barriss said, though Luminara remained silent.

I would have expected for a Jedi Master, one who is supposed abide by the Code supposedly, to agree in the matter. In fact, she looked a little guilty. I could see it in her eyes. She was thinking about something, something that she regretted. And it had to do with the Code.

_**Could she have... no. Luminara seems like a "Code-abiding" person. That's impossible.**_

"And that whole no death, the Force line?" I asked, hoping to shake off thoughts of Luminara and disobedience.

Barriss looked over at her master, but Luminara still seemed to be deep in thought. So, Barriss said, "It means that when a Jedi dies, they join the Force and become, well... part of the Force, I guess. I'm not exactly the one you should be asking."

She shot a galnce at Luminara, who seemed to be recovered from her little zoning out endeavor. "Yes well, it would take a while to explain how it all works, so go with my padawan's explanation for the time being. She has it down pat, at least enough to suffice."

Barriss smiled, probably happy that Luminara agreed with her. "So, what do you guys do?"

"Huh?" Jacinda asked, confused.

"What do you do as... servants to someone?" she asked again, carefully avoiding the term slave, which I appreciated.

Jadella took a sip of her ale and wiped her mouth. "Well, I work with speeders and podracers in the garage next door. Jace and Jaakan work there, as well. And I'm guessing that you noticed Jace's hand in that glove."

The Jedi nodded.

Jadella sighed and rubbed her temples. It hurt her to relive the memories of Jace's arm, Jaakan's depression, Jacinda's rape. She didn't like to talk about it with **_us, _**her family, and I could tell that she was having a difficult time explaining it all to people we didn't know. "When Jace was ten, he lost his arm to a haywire engine in the shop. That kind of affected where Kade, our master, placed him for a while. He worked mostly selling drugs with Jaden, until he built a new arm when he was eleven."

"Wait, Jaden sells drugs?" Barriss asked, leaning forward in her chair with wide eyes.

"He may look like a cute, innocent child, but he has a way with words that even a Senator couldn't match," I said. "But yeah, Kade has him walk around 1313 and sell death sticks and stuff like that. He's good at what he does, too."

"Anyway, he works at Kade's house with Jacinda when he doesn't deal drugs." Jadella finished off the last of her drink.

Barriss looked over at me. "What do you?"

Jacinda immediately looked over at me. Jadella, who had closed her eyes in rest, sat straight up looked at me, as well.

I didn't look at them, though. I looked at the ground and then closed my eyes in sadness. The arena was a cold and harsh place filled with bloodshed and death. I killed to survive. But I still felt as though I was dead whenever I thought of it. "I kill people," I muttered into my hands, which had risen up to my face to wipe away the tear that had fallen from my eye.

"What?" Luminara asked, her voice taking on a more shocked and fearful tone.

I removed my hands from my face and looked up at the two Jedi. "I kill people," I repeated. My voice sounded robotic, like I had been programmed to say that every time someone asked.

The Jedi sat, speechless, so I decided to continue. "My master makes me fight in an arena for entertainment. He likes watching people die. He says that killing makes him feel good. But still, it's my decision to kill the people so yes, I kill people."

Still, they sat, not moving, not saying a word. It was like that for a few seconds then Barriss said with sorrow and compassion in her voice, "I'm so sorry, Ethan."

I smiled, a sad smile, and waved her off. I said in a hoarse voice, "No need to say sorry. It's not your fault, after all." Besides, I didn't need anyone else's pity or sorrow. I get enough of that from my own self.

"No," Luminara said. She seemed to have lost her aura of professionalism and now, she sat shaking her head and looking at me with eyes full of realization and shock. "It is our fault. We let the slave trade go on and now, we have children selling drugs, teenagers getting drunk and losing limbs, and people being forced to fight each other to the death."

She kept on shaking her head and then placed it in her hands.

After a few minutes, Barriss asked, "Is there any alternative to killing people?"

I scowled at her, not even believing how naive she was. "Barriss, if I could make my dreams come true, I wouldn't ever kill something unless its heart couldn't be changed." I stood up and said through clenched teeth, "I've searched and searched for alternatives to killing them. There is no other choice but to take their breath!"

Luminara looked up at me and said, "There is **_always _**another choice. You just haven't looked hard enough."

I felt like slapping someone at that moment and a million thoughts ran through my head. **_You ignorant Jedi! You just heard me say that I've tried everything and you tell me to look harder?!_**

**_Or..._**

**_Maybe she's right..._**

**_Maybe I haven't looked hard enough..._**

**_Or maybe I'm just insane for even considering her_ _words_. **

I sat back down and said, "I'm sorry for my outburst, Luminara. It's just that..."

I trailed off and looked at the ground, ashamed of my previous attitude and thoughts toward the Jedi Master. After all, she had been wiser and more experienced than I. So, in the end, I didn't hold a candle to her in terms of knowledge and wisdom. **_I shouldn't have been so rash._**

"It's quite alright," she said. I felt her gaze soften and she added, "I feel as though the Republic is the one who should be apologizing, anyway. The time that we've spent in 1313 so far has shown that we certainly have been neglecting 1313 and slavery for too long."

I looked up and smiled at her and Barriss. Jadella and Jacinda smiled at them, too. "We accept your apology, then. But one last question. How do you plan to get proof of slavery down here?"

Barriss replied, "Well, the Senate didn't exactly approve a mission down here, so we can't launch a full-scale invasion of 1313. That is, until we bring liable proof to them. We also knew that smuggling a servant out of here wouldn't exactly be the wisest option."

"But we knew that a slaver would keep a record of servants purchased and sold," Luminara said, jumping into the conversation. "We want to break into their quarters and retrieve their records. Also, we'll need to identify who the slavers are if this is all going to be successful."

"We can help you with identification, but I'm so sure about the breaking-and-entering part of the plan," Jadella said, scratching her head. "Those slavers have their houses locked down like I don't know what!"

"But Jaden and I have been inside Kade's house," Jacinda interjected. "We know what kind of guards and security he uses."

"Thank you, but we'll need more than one set of records to prove that a mass slave trade is going on down here," Luminara answered, sighing and wiping something out of her eyes. "I do think that it is time for some rest. Where will we be sleeping?"

I looked over at Jadella, who said, "I guess that I can bring some blankets and a few pillows out here for you. You can sleep on the couch and the chairs. Sorry it's not better than that."

But Luminara waved her off. "It's quite alright. We've slept in some bad conditions before. Besides, it's probably better than what we would have ended up with in this place."

Jadella smiled and said to me, "Ethan, why don't you help them make their beds? Jacinda and I must go check on everyone else. Show them to the bathroom, as well."

I nodded as my sisters got up and headed to the bedrooms. I stood up and said, "Well, one of you can take the couch and the other can push the chairs together, I guess. I'll grab the blankets. Also, the bathroom is right through that door." I pointed at the door in the left corner of our small living room.

I went into our cramped hallway and opened up the closet. To my dismay, I saw only one blanket and two pillows. I grabbed all of it and walked into the living room once again to find that they had pushed together the chairs and created a makeshift bed for one of them. I saw that Luminara wasn't in there, so I said to Barriss, "Sorry, but we only have one blanket."

She shrugged and said, "It's alright, Ethan. Master can have it. She making me sleep on the couch, anyway."

I tossed a pillow to her and said, "You can always use my blanket."

She placed the pillow at the head of the couch and said, "No, Ethan. I would never do that."

I shrugged and met her gaze. "It's alright, Barriss. You're the guest and I need to treat you with respect. Besides, I hardly get cold during the night." When she didn't give an indication that she was budging, I said, "Barriss, I would never forgive myself if I let someone go to sleep shivering."

She sighed and said, "Fine." And with a mock scowl, "You're starting to vex me, Ethan. And I hate to be vexed."

I smirked and said, "Be right back." I left the living room and entered the bedrooms to find that Jacinda had fallen asleep in a chair, cradling Kael. I smiled and took Kael from her arms. I placed him in the crib and grabbed the blanket from my bed. I went back into the living room and tossed it to Barriss. "Here you go."

She smiled and said, "Thank you." I turned around and prepared to leave when Barriss presented another question. "Why does Jacinda have a child?"

I froze mid-step and asked, "Why do you want to know?"

"She seems much too young to be a mother."

A million different answers ran through my mind, giving me a headache at all the possibilities. **_It was an accident. She met some bad people. Walked into the wrong alley. _**But the answer that kept back was **_rape. _**I knew in my mind that I shouldn't beat around the bush.

"She was raped."

Silence.

Then, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Pause. "It wasn't your fault."

* * *

"Ethan!" a voice whisper-shouted at me. My eyes shot open and I sent my fist flying toward my right side. "Ow! Damn it, you idiot! It's me! Jadella!"

I shot up in bed and saw the silhouette of my older sister. And from her posture, she didn't look too happy about something. "What?" I whispered groggily. I hadn't been fully awake yet.

I made out, "Meet me in the hall."

I got up and grabbed my shirt. I pulled it over my head as I entered the hallway, and saw that Jadella had gotten a lightstick. I asked, "What is it? I'm needed at the arena tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes and said, "You're always needed at the arena!" I rolled my eyes as she said, "This is your fault, you know!"

"What's my fault?"

The green light from the stick allowed me to see the glare on her face. "The Jedi! If you hadn't invited them over here, we wouldn't be having a problem!"

I stared at her with disbelief written on my face. "What problem? As far as I know, they're helping us, not causing trouble! What could they possibly be doing to endanger us?"

"Figuring out your secret," she whispered calmly and without any sarcasm.

I looked away from her and felt guilt overcome me. Yes, I'd had a secret at the time that only Jadella and my best friend, Hafiz, knew about. It was something explosive, something that could change my family's life if anyone knew about it, especially if the Jedi found out. "They needed help, Jadella," I said. I sounded like a child who was getting scolded by his family, which I was.

"They're Jedi, Ethan!" she whispered harshly. "Let them get their own help!"

"I thought that you liked the Jedi Order!"

She glared up at me with eyes full of betrayal and disbelief. "I do! The problem is that you've endangered us all by bringing them here!"

"How?" I asked. "The only thing that my secret could do is make our lives better!"

"What if Kade found out?" she replied, her voice raising an octave. "He'd just sell you to the highest bidder and separate all of us! How is that helpful to me, huh? To your siblings and Kael?"

"You heard them, Jade!" I said, calling her by the nickname I had given her. "They're going to free us! And we can help them do so!"

"But they're Jedi! They'll sense something is off about you and then they'll find out!" Jadella wiped tears that had started streaming down her face. "Ethan, I can't let you go away. I won't be alone again. Not again." She sniffled and I pulled her into a hug.

"It's alright, sis." I felt her tears dampen my shirt. "When all of this is over, we can just move to Alderaan or Corellia. Someplace safe from the war and slavers."

I let go of her and added, "I don't know what you're so worried about anyway. It's not like they'll dissect me or anything. They have lots of people like me."

"But what if they take you away?"

I chuckled and that made Jadella smile. "Even if they find out, they'll find that I lack many of the required characteristics and principles." I said in a softer voice, "Don't worry, Jade. It'll be alright in the future."

She nodded and said, "Thanks, Ethan." She went back into the bedroom, but before I followed her, I saw a shadow at the end of the hall. I tip-toed down the hall and peeked around the corner. Barriss and Luminara were both asleep.

I scrunched my eyebrows together. **_That's funny... I swear I saw something._**

But nevertheless, I dismissed it as my imagination and went back to bed. I shouldn't have dismissed it.

* * *

**Author's Note: I've decided to start putting poetry at the top of every chapter just to give a little snippet of what's going to happen in every chapter. Hope you guys appreciate quotes from famous authors, books, and politicians! Also, leave a review telling me what you think Ethan's secret is. It's kind of obvious, by the way.**


	4. Chapter 4: Friends and Foes

The Life of a Slave

Chapter 4: Friends and Foes

**Author's Note: Alright, I've begun to notice the lack of reviews so how about a little compromise. I get five reviews per chapter and I'll update. How does that sound to you guys? Anyway, here ya go. Merry Christmas!**

* * *

_**"If you have good friends, no matter how much life is sucking, they can make you laugh."  
**_**-P.C. Cast**

* * *

The next morning, we all sat in the kitchen merrily eating breakfast, except for me. I had a headache.

I sat hunched over a plate of eggs and toasted bread, rubbing my temples, wincing whenever a wave of pain would hit my brain. Jadella brought me a warm, damp rag and I accepted it gratefully. Luminara and Barriss looked at me with concern. "Are you ill, Ethan?" Luminara asked.

I shook my head and winced as the pain hit my head again. "Just a headache, that's all. Why do you ask?"

She shrugged and sipped her water. "We just wanted to make sure that you didn't require aid."

"What could you do to help?" I asked, rubbing the dust out of my eyes.

"Barriss is studying to be a healer," Luminara replied. "She knows how to deal with things such as headaches and sickness."

I smiled despite the pain, and answered, "Don't worry. I've had many migraines before and this will pass."

"Are you sure?" Barriss asked, concern evident in her tone of voice.

I looked over at her and nodded. "Yes, Barriss. I'm sure." I laughed nervously. "Not all things require worry."

I took a bite of toast and looked at the holo-clock. It read seven-thirty. "I'd better be on my way. Master Kade will have my head if I don't get to arena soon."

I ruffled Jaden's hair and grabbed my bag. "Wait."

I turned around and Jadella looked at me inquisitively. "Aren't you going to show them around?"

"Show who around?" I asked, confused at my sister's question.

She rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Sometimes I wonder about you Ethan." She gestured to the Jedi and replied, "Them, genius."

"Oh," I said, rubbing the back of my head and feeling like an idiot. I looked over at Luminara and Barriss. "So, do you guys want to see the worst of 1313?"

Luminara took one more bite of her eggs and brought the plate to the sink. "I suppose that my padawan could come with you. I would like to learn more from Jadella, if you will. Barriss, go with Ethan to collect more intel for the Senate."

"Remind me again, as to why the Senate won't approve taking action against slave trades," Barriss replied.

"They don't believe that slave trades are taking place down here."

"Then, you should bring them down here to take a look for themselves," I said with a wicked smile.

Luminara tried to disguise it, but I knew that she was trying hard not to smile. Barriss placed her plate next to Luminara's and said, "Where do we go first?"

I shrugged and said, "Work. Come on. I need to get to the arena."

She followed me out the door and we were immediately met with the sound of a woman screaming and two human men rushing by with a squirming sack. I dropped my satchel and grabbed one of the men by the throat. He gasped for breath and I kicked him in the knee. It went backwards and a cracking sound could be heard. He shrieked and collapsed.

I look over the other man and he was white as a ghost. He tossed the squirming bag over to me and ran off, leaving us with the broken man. "What in the Force was that?" Barriss asked, her voice hardly more than a whisper.

"That, my Jedi friend," I said, opening up the large bag and revealing a child, "was an attempted kidnapping." The child was a female Togruta with red skin and black stripes running down her headtails.

Barriss gaped. "I'm assuming from the way you handled the situation that this has happened more than once."

"Once or twice a day," I replied and turned toward my left to see an older female Togruta running down the street. She had blood running from her nose, yet she didn't seem to care. Her eyes widened when she saw me holding the crying child.

She rushed towards me and grabbed her child. "Thank you, sir. Oh, thank you for rescuing Tala!"

I was about to reply "thank you", but the woman just kissed me on the cheek, pressed a few credits into my hand, and ran off. I turned around and watched her retreating shadow. "What did the men intend to do with the child?" Barriss inquired.

"Raise her until she was old enough to use for sexual desires. Then, they would rape her continually," I replied bluntly.

I picked up my satchel, stepped over the unconscious man and walked off, but she caught up with me. "And this doesn't bother you?" Barriss asked.

I stopped walking and I looked down at her with contempt. "How could it not bother me? My sister was raped for a fortnight and no one rescued her when they heard her cries! My nephew, Kael, when he grows up will forever has to live with the knowledge that he is a mistake in this Force-forsaken world that I have to call home! This bothers my mind every single second that I'm still alive!"

She met my gaze, except that her gaze held pity and remorse, instead of rage like mine. "I'm sorry for angering you Ethan, but from the way you reacted you indicated that it didn't faze you."

I sighed and said, "I'm sorry for my outburst Barriss, but you shouldn't judge people from their outward appearance."

"You sound like a Jedi Master," she said bluntly and we began walking again.

"Is that a bad thing?"

She didn't answer that question. Instead, she asked one of her own. "Do you really think that Kael is a mistake?"

I looked over at her and nodded. "Whenever people are in a relationship and they have an unexpected pregnancy, their own actions created the life form. But rape is an abnormality and it creates things that shouldn't have ever come into existence."

"Yet it still happens," Barriss replied coolly.

I shrugged. "Kael might be a mistake, but unlike other mistakes, he has a family and friends that love him. But it still troubles me that he has to endure life knowing that he was brought into the world by an abnormality."

"Then maybe he isn't a mistake. Maybe rape is the mistake," Barriss replied.

I remained silent and let this idea come into my mind. I had been raised around pirates, slavers, and smugglers all my life and some of their ideas and thoughts had become mine as well. Ideals about rape and unexpected pregnancy had entered my mind through their own conversations throughout the years. Barriss had just changed my thoughts in a few statements.

"How old was she?"

Barriss' question brought me back into reality. "Who?"

"Jacinda. How old was she when she was raped?"

"Thirteen." That year of her life brought bad memories to my mind, memories of Jacinda, broken down and crying in her room, and of Jaden, standing there, confused and wondering what was going on. If only he had known.

"That's much too young," Barriss said, her head hanging from the impact of the truth.

"Like you said, rape is a mistake and mistakes mess things up," I replied, looking down at her slumped form.

Our eyes met and her gaze held sadness, an emotion that the Jedi Order forbid. Though, the Jedi Code had forbid all emotion. _**There is no emotion, there is peace**__. _Barriss' statement from the night before came to mind, yet I refrained from reminding her of this. Why? In my mind, you weren't a person if you didn't show emotion and I liked seeing Barriss as just a person, a friend even.

But her eyes regained a neutral look and she tore away from my gaze. "We should get to the arena."

"Sure."

We didn't talk much after that.

* * *

"We're here," I said, stopping at the massive building that was more commonly known as the Gladiator's Playground.

Barriss' eyes widened just a little, showing surprise. "And people come here to watch others get killed?"

"You really don't get out much, do you?" I asked, smirking a little and going inside. She followed.

"Master usually keeps me on a leash, if you will. She can be strict at times, "Barriss said, walking at my side.

"It should be relieving to know that you have someone that cares about you," I answered, looking down at her small frame.

I saw her mouth form a frown. "Yes, but she takes caring to a whole different level. I mean, she wasn't even this strict when I had just begun my training under her!"

"Maybe she thinks that something will happen to you if you're not by her side?" I said, though it came out as more of a question.

She scowled at me and said, "I'm almost twenty-years old, Ethan. I was trained from ages three to thirteen by the best Jedi in the galaxy, and then from thirteen to the present by Master Unduli. I highly doubt that anyone will injure me, especially if I have a lightsaber on my belt." ***(A/N: Barriss says that she is nineteen, but in reality, she would be twenty-three. I just figured that I would change her age to shorten the age difference between her and Ahsoka and/or Ethan, who are seventeen and nineteen, respectively.**

I smiled and said, "I certainly wouldn't." I looked over at her and said, "But what's worse? Having a master that cares about you or one that wouldn't give a kriff if you tried and died on a mission?"

She sighed and mumbled, "The latter." She added with a mock glare, "Sometimes you can be such a Windu!"

"A Windu?"

She laughed, a real one, and said, "I'll have to tell you later."

She laughed again and I chuckled too. But I had no reason to. I just wanted to laugh for once. "Well, if it isn't my favorite little slave."

A cold, eerie voice caused me to whip around. I met the obsidian eyes of a Twi'Lek and stumbled a few steps back. It was my master, Kade Renkaan. He had light blue skin and eyes dark as a black hole. He wore expensive robes that only a Senator could afford and had a whip attached to his belt.

I looked down and didn't say a word.

"You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago," Kade said, smiling coldly at me.

"I was preoccupied," I replied, not raising my voice past a mumble.

Kade ran his hand across my face and made a tsk-ing noise. "Oh Ethan, you know how I feel about my slaves being tardy." He pulled me closer and whispered, "It bothers me." His hand ran down my arm and I whimpered.

He pushed me away and said with a glare, "The next time you're late, Slash gets to take care of you."

And with a cruel laugh, he exited the arena.

I stood absolutely still and goosebumps appeared where he had touched me. Fear and rage filled my mind and I whimpered again. Barriss placed a hand on my shoulder. "Ethan?"

When I didn't answer, she grabbed my shoulder and forced me to look at her. "Ethan, answer me."

"Don't tell anyone about this," I muttered, my eyes wide with worry and fear.

"What do you mean by 'this'"?" she asked, taking her hand off my shoulder and making quotation marks with her fingers.

"The confrontation that you just witnessed," I replied, brushing past her and heading towards the changing area. Barriss opened her mouth to say something, or ask I suppose, but I said, "Please don't ask about it."

I could tell by the mumbling I heard and tension that appeared in the air that she was not happy about being silenced. "Fine," she muttered and an image of her pouting and crossing her arms appeared in my mind. The frown on my face loosened a little at the thought of such a proper person like Barriss acting like a child who didn't get their way.

I reached the changing room and opened the door. I looked back at Barriss and said, "Wait here. And if anyone gives you trouble, tell them that you're a friend of Durasteel. They'll know what that means."

"Who's Durasteel?" she asked.

I smirked. "It's my stage name in the arena."

She raised an eyebrow and smiled a little. "How'd you come up with that?"

"I ran into a durasteel wall when I was trying to come up with a name. It just stuck with me," I said, giving her sheepish smile and hoping that she forgave me for not explaining the earlier confrontation with my master earlier.

Thankfully, she smiled back and said, "I would expect someone like you to be more aware of their surroundings and not run into walls."

I shrugged and said, "Be right back."

I turned around and walked into the changing room. Opening up my box in the corner of the room, I pulled out my black combat boots and black pants. I took off my shirt and placed it next to the box and took off my pants as well. I jumped into my pants and forced my boots onto my feet.

I placed my casual clothes into the box, yet sat for one more moment. Looking inside the box, I pulled out the beaded necklace that my father had given me before we landed on Coruscant.

"_**What's this, Dad?" I asked, examining the necklace that he had stuffed into my palm. It had beads and rocks on the string, but in the middle was a shiny stone that seemed to change colors. It was like it didn't know what it wanted to be or it couldn't decided which shade it liked better, blue or red, orange or yellow.**_

"_**It was your grandfather's necklace. He wore it in every battle or fight that he was in. When he died though, he left this to me. And now, I want you to have it." Dad saw how I was fascinated with the rock though, and he chuckled. "The stone is called a Coloring Stone."**_

_**I smiled, knowing that it had been properly named. "What's it do?"**_

"_**It changes colors," Dad replied bluntly.**_

_**I looked up at him, dismayed that it only had one function. "That's all it does?"**_

_**Dad laughed, a quiet laugh, and ruffled my black hair. "Not everything has to have some kind of big purpose in life. And sometimes, it's the small wonders of the galaxy that are the most important, Ethan. Remember that in the future."**_

"_**But I'll have you there to remind me, right?"**_

"_**Right, kiddo."**_

I placed my head in my hands and I said, "I miss you, Dad." I ran both my hands through my hair and a sob escaped through my lips.

But I couldn't afford to cry.

I glanced at the Coloring Stone once more. It kept on switching from blue to red to purple to everything else. Every minute, a new color. When I was child, I wondered if it would run out of colors to just start creating new shades for fun. I still wondered if that was true.

I picked it up and rolled the necklace around in my hand. The rocks and beads tickled the palm of my hand and the stone felt cool against my warm, calloused skin. And as usual, I was tempted to wear it.

But I couldn't. I had worn the necklace once before and I had been beaten up and bloodied when someone tried to steal it. Things such as Coloring Stones are worth something in the surface world and 1313. I obviously had something of value and that of course, meant that there were people who wanted to take it.

And as I've already said, I couldn't afford for the necklace to be taken. I couldn't afford for my father's most prized possession to be stolen.

Laughter and conversation interrupted my train of thought. I looked up from the stone and knew that I needed to get back to Barriss. I stood up and placed the stone back in the box. I closed it and grabbed my practice blade on the way out.

I was immediately met with Barriss laughing as a boy dressed in a blue jumpsuit told her jokes about me. It was my best friend, Hafiz. He finally noticed me standing behind Barriss and said, "Well, if it isn't Mr. Tall, Dark, and Gruesome!"

I smirked and replied, "Nice to see you too, Hafiz!"

He smiled his crooked grin at me and said, "You know, you shouldn't leave your girlfriend out here! It's a dangerous place 1313!"

"I know that, Hafiz," I said, stepping up and slapping him on the back. "I know that better than anyone. And she's not my girlfriend."

He again smiled that weird smile and I couldn't help but laugh a little. Hafiz was a green-skinned Nautolan with the goofiest personality and appearance that you'll ever come across. He was a servant like me, but he served Crime Lord Omarian, the King of 1313, or at least that what he was considered to be. We didn't really have a government in 1313. Anyway, Hafiz was five inches shorter than me and only sixteen years old. But he always managed to make me laugh when I first met him so we kind of grew closer. He was the only one who knew my secret besides Jadella.

"Well, if she's not then dibs!" he said, raising a hand in the air as if he were at an auction.

I smirked, knowing that no one would ever be able to call "dibs" on Barriss. "Sorry dude, but she's not available."

His expression changed from excited to disappointed the back to excited. "You _**are**_ dating her! Nice job, man! So, when's the wedding?" He held up his hand in a high-five gesture and I shook my head in disbelief.

I looked over to Barriss and asked, "Can you tell him?"

She smirked and shrugged. "Hafiz um, I'm actually... a Jedi." She whispered the last part so softly, we were barely able to make out what she was saying.

Hafiz' eyes widened and he turned to me. "So, you're dating a beautiful girl and she's a Jedi? I always thought that I would end up with the hot and dangerous one!" He sighed and added, shaking his head, "Guess not."

I rolled my eyes and punched him on the shoulder. "Man, we're not dating!"

He laughed and said, "I know, dude! I know! I just needed to tease you about something!" He turned to Barriss, who had started turning a darker shade of green. "See Barriss, that's the beauty of him and I's friendship. I get to tease him and he protects my ass whenever there are thugs looking for me!"

She laughed again and replied, "That sounds like me and my friend, Ahsoka. Except without the protection. She does that on her own."

Hafiz brightened up and he loudly whispered, "Maybe you could introduce me to this Ahsoka person?"

I smirked and rolled my eyes. "Alright, you joker. That's enough. Get back to cleaning the stands."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he said, holding up his hands in a defensive gesture. "I have one serious question to ask your Jedi girlfriend." He looked over at Barriss. "What are you doing down here?"

"We're trying to free everyone," she whispered after she had scanned the area for potential eavesdroppers.

"Everyone as in everyone? Or everyone as in servants?" he asked, lowering his voice to a mumble.

"Servants," Barriss replied.

Hafiz smirked and said, "So, when's the invasion?"

"I don't know. Why do you ask?" Barriss replied, curiosity evident in her tone.

"Because whenever you and those clones march down here, I want a gun and thermal detonators to use against the slavers and crime lords," he replied, smiling his signature smile. "They need to pay for their crimes against us and I'm willing to help when all of this goes down."

Barriss raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Hafiz nodded. "Just bring the weapons and I'll be good to go."

A cough from behind me caused all of us to whip around. I came face-to-face with a tall human male who had a cold smile on his face. It was Abaddon, my rival. He smirked at me and said, "Well, if it isn't my arch-nemesis, Dabria."

I glared at him and replied, "Abaddon."

Abaddon was about two inches taller than me and had bleached-blonde hair. His eyes were black, blacker than Kade's, and his teeth were bared in a kind of smile or growl or sneer. But it probably wasn't a smile. You don't get a lot of those from Abaddon. "How have you been doing, Dabria?" he asked.

"Why do you want to know?" I questioned, steeping up to him and looking him in the eyes.

He sneered and said, "Just wanted to make sure that my rival was ready for our little match in a week. I can't wait to show everyone that Durasteel can be put down like the pathetic animal he is."

"You're calling me an animal?" I growled, taking another step forward so that there were only inches between us. "Then prove it. Let's go right here."

He cackled and I resisted the urge to cover my ears. He sounded like a dying mynock being hit with a piece of duracrete. "Sorry, but I only fight when there's an audience. And we've only got this Nautolan trash to watch." He sneered again and looked over at Hafiz. "Shouldn't you be cleaning?"

Hafiz muttered a sorry and said to me, "See you later, Ethan." He ran off and went into the stands to clean again.

Abaddon smirked and his eyes settled on Barriss. "Well, I _**know**_ that you're not here for him." He brushed past me and took Barriss' hand. "The name's Abaddon, miss. But you knew that already." He kissed the back of her hand, which sent rage boiling throughout my body.

"Sorry. Never heard of you," Barriss replied, tearing her hand away from his and wiping it on her robes.

His smile faltered a little, and that sent a small smile across my features. He laughed nervously and said, "Well, I would sure like to hear about you."

Barriss raised an eyebrow, probably a little pissed off at him. "Sorry, but ass-wipes aren't really my type." She glanced at me and smiled. I smiled back.

Abaddon was speechless. I had heard stories about how women swooned over him, despite his servant-status, and it was probably shocking to him that Barriss was turning him down. Like I said, shocking to _**him. **_I already knew that Barriss would say no. His face turned from surprised to angry and he said through clenched teeth, "Why you little bitch!"

He started to raise his hand, but before he could, I had tackled him to the ground and furiously punching him in the face. He shoved me off and kneed me in the groin. I groaned in pain and he pushed me to the ground. He straddled me and punched me in the nose, causing me to groan again and making stars fly around my head. He pulled out a vibroblade and said, "Screw the arena and witnesses. I'll kill you right now."

But once again, something stopped him and it was a rock that had been thrown into his shoulder. I looked over and saw that Barriss had picked up a few rocks and used them against him. "Leave him alone," she said, her face expressionless, yet her body language had enough emotion to tell what she was implying.

She was ready for a fight.

Abaddon started getting up, but a familiar voice stopped him. "Slave, stand down."I looked over to my left and saw Kade, his hand on his whip. I had never been so happy to see a slaver in my life. "Abaddon, this behavior is intolerable. Save your blood-thirst for the arena next week. And Ethan, keep your woman under control." I saw his eyes narrow when he laid eyes on Barriss and not just because he felt threatened by her. He knew that she didn't belong down here.

Kade walked away, but not without glaring at Abaddon.

Abaddon got off me and said, "Have fun with your _**whore, **_Dabria. You only have one more week to live, after all." He walked out of the arena and Barriss rushed to my side.

"You didn't have to do that, Ethan," she said, disappointment evident in her voice. In that instant, I went from being in awe at her to anger.

"Well, you didn't have to call him an ass-wipe," I shot back, standing up and taking a few steps away from her.

She sighed and stood up as well. "I meant that you didn't have to place yourself in danger for me. As I've already mentioned, I can handle myself."

"You might be able to, but I was always told by my parents and Jadella to protect my friends. And at that moment, you, my friend, looked like you needed protection." I stared down at her as her expression went from blank to surprised and maybe a little flattered.

"Thank you, Ethan. I suppose that you're my friend as well."

"You suppose?" I said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"Well, I just met you yesterday," she said defensively, but I saw the corners of her mouth come up in a smile. I liked seeing her smile.

"Anyway, let me clean my nose and I'll be right back." I started to walk off toward the dirty refresher, but I turned back and asked, "You sure that you'll be okay out here? Alone?"

"Yes, Ethan. I'm sure." She smirked and added, "Not all things require worry."

I rolled my eyes at her statement, or more like the statement that she had stolen from me. But as I walked off, I felt a small sense of flattery. I liked that she remembered what I had said earlier; that she was paying attention to me. It gave me pleasure. But I hadn't known why. At least, at the time.

* * *

"Is your master homosexual?"

I had just finished my daily training and Barriss and I were walking back to Beggar's Row, where my home was located. I had been drinking out of a small bottle of water when she asked, so I started choking on it. "What?" I said, bending over and coughing.

"Well, my master has taught that intruding on a person's mind to find answers is rude, so the only way to find out was to ask," she replied. I could hear laughter and a smile in her voice at my reaction, though this wasn't a laughing matter for me.

"Um... do _**you**_think that he's gay?" I asked, wondering where the question came from.

She shrugged. "It's just that earlier, when he approached you in the arena, he seemed... _**interested **_in you. And from the way he looked at me after all of that Abaddon business, it looked as though he saw me as a threat to um, creating a relationship with you."

I Looked away and said, "Yeah, he's homosexual." I started to walk away, but Barriss, persistent as ever, caught up with me.

"Why does this bother you so much? Do you have something against homosexuals?" she asked, probably seeing my reaction to the question.

I laughed a little, though I was thoroughly embarrassed about the whole matter. "Oh no, Barriss. I have nothing against homosexuality. It's just that..." I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. "Well, my master is gay. And he's a man. And I'm a man. And he's my _**master."**_

Her eyes widened a little and she looked down at the ground. "Oh, um... sorry I asked."

"It's alright," I replied, smiling down at her. "Better to just get the truth out of the way."

"Well, are you?" she asked.

I made a face, confused, before the meaning of the question dawned on me. "Oh, Barriss! No! Force, no! I'm straight! Gosh, I mean, I have nothing against homosexuality, but me and another man? Never!" I laughed nervously and Barriss smiled at my reaction.

"Yes well, I guessed that you were heterosexual, but I just wanted to be sure."

I raised an eyebrow and smiled suggestively. "Why? Is the Padawan Learner thinking about making a move on the gladiator?" I wiggled my eyebrows and laughed when Barriss' expression changed to horror. "Relax, Barriss. I was kidding."

She let out a breath and said, "Good."

We started walking again, but I looked down at her and asked, "What about you?"

"Huh?"

"Are you um..."

She rolled her eyes and said, "Ethan, I'm a Jedi. We're not allowed to form attachments."

I looked away again and sneered. At the time, I had realized that the Code was the law of the Jedi and that they should obey it, but that didn't mean that Jedi couldn't think someone looked nice or if they preferred men or woman. "Barriss, I'm aware of the fact that Jedi aren't allowed marriage or relationships, but that shouldn't stop you from looking at someone attractive."

She seemed to contemplate this and suddenly, a bright smile crossed her features. "And again, you've reminded me of Ahsoka."

"There goes that name again. Okay explain to me who this Ahsoka person is."

Her smile faded as she tried to concentrate. "Well, do you know who Anakin Skywalker is?"

My eyes brightened and I smirked. "The Hero With No Fear? Who doesn't know about him?"

"Ahsoka was assigned to him at the beginning of the war and we met at the second battle of Geonosis when we had to destroy a droid factory there. In the end though, we ended up being trapped beneath the rubble of the structure and um... almost died. But Ahsoka managed to fix her comlink so her master was able to detect us and save us from oxygen deprivation."

I smiled, though the story sounded a little dangerous. "Well, she sounds resourceful."

Barriss smiled and said, "Yes. She certainly is creative. But you remind of her a lot. Especially with the jokes."

I shrugged. "But you have failed to answer my earlier question."

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "You _**are **_like Ahsoka. But men, I would prefer." She looked up at me and smirked. "Definitely men."

I chuckled and said, "Come on. We need to get back to the house. We have lot's of work to do before you and Luminara can go home." But even though we remained silent the rest of the way, I could tell that we were trying not to laugh. Why? I guessed that having friends around you just removes the ability to contain laughter.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay um, remember. Five reviews equals an update. Also, the next chapter will be called Plans of Revolution, if that gives you any indication of what it'll be like.**


	5. Chapter 5: Plans of Revolution

The Life of a Slave

Chapter 5: Plans of Revolution

**Author's Note: Well, it seems as though you guys have no idea what the term "I want five reviews" means, but I've developed a soft spot for you guys and I finished this chapter earlier than expected so... here ya go.**

* * *

**_"Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding."  
_-Ralph Waldo Emerson  
**

* * *

"So, how was your first day in 1313, Barriss?" Jadella asked, as the _**adults **_lounged around the living room after dinner.

"Interesting, to say the least," she replied, glancing over at me. I could tell that the fight between Abaddon and me earlier was still bothering her, especially with my nose. Of course, she had yet to see just how brutal other fights could be in 1313.

"Interesting, huh? That's all because I don't remember Ethan having a broken nose before he left this morning," Jadella replied, looking up from her old datapad that I had gotten for her a month ago. It had been her birthday. "So, which one of you wants to tell me how he got it? And I don't mean telling me something stupid like he tripped and fell on a piece of duracrete. I want the truth."

Barriss and I exchanged glances and we knew that we had to tell her. "We ran into Abaddon," I said quickly.

Jacinda's breath caught in her throat, while Jadella tried to keep a neutral look on her face. Even Luminara knew something was wrong and she looked to me and Barriss. "Abaddon?" she asked.

"My rival."

"When did this happen?" Jadella asked, her voice full of suppressed anger. I couldn't tell if it was at Abaddon or Barriss or me. Probably all three of us, now that I think about it.

Barriss spoke up, "At the arena, earlier this morning. We had just arrived there when he confronted us."

Jadella's face remained blank as she asked, "Why did he break Ethan's nose?"

Barriss raised her eyebrows, not yet realizing how well Jadella could pick up on things. "It was completely and totally my fault," she replied, looking down at the ground afterwards.

I rolled my eyes and said, "It wasn't your fault, Barriss. I shouldn't have initiated anything!"

"I shouldn't have said the things I said!" she shot back, not wanting Jadella to get mad at me.

Jacinda piped up with, "I don't think that the three of us," she gestured to herself, Jadella and Luminara, "really give a kriff about who started it. We just want to know **_why _**he broke Ethan's nose."

"Well, he walked up to Barriss and tried to bed her," I started, balling up my fists when the thought of him flirting with Barriss came to mind. "Then Barriss said some things to him that didn't make him very happy. And he raised his hand to hit her."

"But Ethan tackled him to the ground and started punching him," Barriss interjected. "Abaddon gained the upper hand, however, and proceeded to break Ethan's nose."

"Then Kade showed up and said for Abaddon to get lost," I ended, not including the part about Kade calling Barriss my "woman" and giving her the death glare.

Jadella nodded and said in a kind of pissed off voice, "Well, that sounds exactly like something you would do, Ethan. And don't do it again, you two. I don't need either one of you injured for me to take care of."

"Padawan, what did you say to Abaddon when you were confronted by him?" Luminara asked.

Barriss looked down at the ground, as she did whenever she was embarrassed or sad about something. "I called him a wipe-ass." Jadella and Jacinda raised an eyebrow, while Luminara remained placid.

Jadella was the first to speak, but she **_had_** to go and say, "Great job, Padawan! I didn't think that a Jedi had the guts to swear like that! I guess that Jacinda and I underestimated you!" Jacinda remained silent, but a smile was plastered onto her face. Luminara on the other hand looked at them as if they had just insulted her mother.

Barriss sat there, mouth slightly open, with confusion clearly written across her face. "What do you mean by 'you underestimated me'?"

"We were at our smuggler friend Madeira's house when we got onto the subject of the whole 'Jedi intervention' thing, and we placed bets on how long it would take to prove that Jedi weren't goody-two-shoes like everyone says you are. And I hope that you didn't mind us telling her that you were Jedi." Jadella gave them a sheepish smile.

"Wait a moment," Luminara said, holding up a hand and rubbing her eyes. She let her hand down and asked, "Who says that we're goody-two-shoes?"

Jadella looked off, deep in thought, and placed her hand under her chin. "Well, the slavers, servants, smugglers, crime lords, civilians, prostitutes, and um... everyone else, pretty much."

Jacinda and I were practically choking on our laughter as the Jedi started blushing and spluttering. Luminara replied, "Well, we **_have _**to follow the law or else, we wouldn't set a good example for the citizens of the Republic."

"Yeah, but you could still go for a drink with your friends or **_something _**to prove to everyone that you're not stiff as a board," I said, smirking a little. "I mean, I don't think that you're **_all_** rule-followers. Anakin Skywalker has proved that to be a fact. But for the most part, you don't see many Knights partying it up after a victory on Geonosis or Christophsis or somewhere. And saying that you have to follow the Code has nothing to do with this because last time I checked, it said nothing about not being able to go out to a bar or a club or something."

Luminara and Barriss exchanged looks and to be honest, looked speechless. Barriss finally said, "I'm not sure why we don't do things such as that."

"I suppose that it's because of our predecessors," Luminara added. "They didn't go um... clubbing or drinking and we like to follow tradition so no behavior such as that."

I smiled softly and said, "Well, I think that it's time for some change in the Jedi Order." I chuckled lightly and said, "But who am I to say something such as that? After all, I'm only a servant in 1313, the center of all crime in the galaxy."

"Well, we're taught from an early age that no matter the occupation or race or age that a being's opinion **_does_** matter," Barriss said, smiling at me. I smiled back.

Luminara said, "That gives me an idea." All eyes turned to her. "The servants of 1313 are all beings, are they not? Their opinions matter, as my padawan has said. So, when we invade 1313, we could use them to our advantage. You know, give them weapons and let them help us in the fight. A revolution."

The room became deadly silent when she said "revolution." Jacinda and I exchanged a glance when Jadella said, "Excuse me. I need some air." I saw a flash of pain in her eyes when she walked out of the room.

Barriss innocently asked, "Did any of us say something wrong?"

Jacinda looked to me and nodded toward the door that Jadella had walked out of me. I nodded too and she walked out there to comfort the older girl. I looked at the Jedi and said, "Sorry about Jadella's reaction to that. She has a difficult time with the term 'revolution'."

"Why?" Barriss questioned, leaning forward in her chair.

I scratched the top of my head and closed my eyes in sorrow. Long story short, things hadn't always been depressing in 1313. In fact, things were actually kind of happy and peppy a few years back. But that was before the first revolution, before a fifth of the servant population was wiped out, before Jadella loved and lost. "We had a revolution five years ago, when I was fourteen. Basically, Kade and a few other slavers did some things to tick us off and that was enough to ignite the fire in us. We might have actually succeeded in the revolution had it not been for the sleepers."

"Sleepers?" Luminara asked. I could feel her interest rise a little.

"Kind of like spies, except that they find jobs and finance themselves so that their sponsors don't have to pay them."

"Isn't that the point of being a spy?" Barriss asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They get paid at the end of the job. Besides, they need jobs so that the money can't be traced back to the sponsors."

"Clever," she responded.

I nodded and resumed my explanation. "Anyway, the sleepers were posing as servants and knew almost everything about the revolt. The leaders, abandoned buildings where we kept weapons, allies outside of 1313, **_everything. _**"

"What happened?" Luminara questioned.

I looked down at the ground. "Jaden and Jacinda were going around from house-to-house, telling the slaves of the latest updates on the revolution. We had been planning to strike at the crime families that night. But out of nowhere, hired mercenaries and bounty hunters started coming out and shooting all the slaves in sight. They kept pouring in from the shadows and there was too much chaos to do anything about it. They assassinated our leaders, murdered innocent children and burned a third of the servant quarters. A fifth of the servant population was wiped out and ever since then, it's been nothing but rape, drug dealings and death. No more happiness, or what was classified as happiness in 1313."

They said nothing for a moment. Then Barriss asked, "What does this have to do with Jadella?"

I sighed and responded, "She was a leader in the revolt and was responsible for most of the planned strikes against the crime lords. After the Days of Ash concluded, she kind of..." I trailed off, searching for the correct words. "She zoned out for a while. Didn't really respond to a lot." I took a deep breath. "She's better now, as you can see. But sometimes, she gets that distant look in her eyes and you can tell that she's thinking about the murdered children and burn victims of the conflict."

Luminara simply said, "That must have been taxing on her." I nodded. She also asked, "Why was she not assassinated?"

"The other leaders were just figureheads that could rally the servants. The sleepers weren't exactly smart enough to tell that Jade was practically the brains of the operation."

"What are the Days of Ash?" Barriss inquired.

"When the bounty hunters scorched the houses, it lasted for two weeks. Children and their parents were found in their homes, dead from smoke inhalation and third degree burns. Servants, and those actually willing to help, aided us in transporting the bodies to where they could lie in peace. We had to sweep ash from the sidewalks and rooftops for months. After a while, we just started calling the Days of Ash."

She frowned and her eyebrows furrowed together in a sad expression. "It's a sad name."

"It was a sad week," I responded.

Jadella and Jacinda walked back in as if on cue and Jadella started collecting the glasses that she had put out. "I think that it would be a good time to get some rest," she mumbled, though it was loud enough for all of us to hear.

"Okay," I said and I took the tray from her. "You should get ready, Jade."

She nodded, but I don't think that she was going to do so. Her eyes were glazed over and I knew instantly that she was thinking about the revolution. Most of you are probably thinking that it was a big deal, yes, but that she doesn't have to be so moody and distant about it. But there was so much more to the story that I hadn't told the Jedi, so much more heartbreak and pain...

I nodded toward Jacinda and Jadella, said, "Goodnight," to the Jedi, and placed the glasses in the kitchen. I nodded to the Jedi as I made my to the bedroom and collapsed onto my bed.

But sleep eluded my grasp.

* * *

"What are you doing up at this hour?" a Coruscanti voice asked me.

I had gotten up out of bed due to my inability to sleep, so I decided to grab a roll from the fridge. Besides, I had been hungry. I turned around to see a bedraggled Luminara. She had removed her headdress so that wavy, black hair cascaded down her robe-clad back. Her eye were bloodshot and her once orderly robes were now wrinkled.

I smiled and responded, "I couldn't sleep. You?"

"I was unable to fall asleep, as well," she said, and grabbed a glass out of the cabinet. "I decided to grab a glass of water, as I usually do at the Temple." She placed the glass under the faucet and turned off the water.

I grabbed my roll and took a bite. "Aren't Mirialan girls supposed to wear hoods or headdresses at all times?"

"Some Mirialan women don't practice it, but Barriss and I like to keep up tradition. Besides," she said with a tired smile and a swig of water, "I was too tired to get the wretched thing on my head."

"I thought you said that you liked tradition."

"Yes, but it can be a pain in the arse at times." She smirked and took another sip of her water. But after that, an awkward silence settled over us and we stood in the kitchen uncomfortably until Luminara asked, "What didn't you tell us?"

I looked to the Jedi and raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"When you told us of the revolution, you seemed to holding information back. What was it?"

Sighing, I placed my roll onto the counter and leaned against the fridge. "It's just some old love story that you wouldn't want to hear." Luminara scowled at me and I knew that she wouldn't take no for an answer. "Okay, I'll tell you! Anyway, there was this guy that Jadella and I had been friends with for years. His name was Gabir and we had all been best friends. But when the revolution started, Jadella and him started to..."

"Become romantically involved?" Luminara helped, raising an eyebrow.

"Exactly. Anyway, I mentioned earlier that Jaden and Jacinda had been relaying messages throughout the servants' quarters, right?" She nodded. "Well, when the bounty hunters starting burning down houses, Gabir had been tending to a small garden that he had. He noticed that Jaden and Jacinda were right in the way of the flames. So, he scooped them up and ran throughout the streets, looking for a safe place to put them. But in the end, he knew that it would either be him or them that survived. Long story short, he threw them inside a random home and ended up dying in the fires. His body was later found in a dumpster near the arena."

Luminara stood there, mouth slightly open with pity written on her face. "Oh, my. I can see why this has caused your sister pain. Maybe the idea of a revolution wasn't so good after all."

"Whose idea? The servants' or yours?"

She shrugged and smiled sadly. "Does it really matter? Your revolution ended with thousands dead and ours won't succeed without the Senate's approval, which is becoming harder to come by each session. All they do is bicker."

"I wouldn't blame everything on them, though they vex me at times," I said. "That chancellor of yours seems kind of suspicious."

"Palpatine?" Luminara questioned, voice full of disbelief. She scoffed and said, "He's an old man with only the power of words and money."

"And that's exactly what the galaxy today thrives on," I responded, standing up straight and glaring at her a little. "The world wants gossip and credits and he has the largest supply in the Republic, considering the fact that he's the Chancellor. But there's something about him that I don't like. I've seen him deliver speeches on the HoloNet and there's just something wrong about him. At least, that's what my instincts keep telling me. And I trust my instincts, Luminara."

Luminara furrowed her dark eyebrows. "The Council hasn't sensed anything."

"Then the Council needs to delve deeper into Palpatine's past," I responded, crossing my arms over my abdomen. "He just has that... look about him. I might not be a Jedi, but whenever I see him on the HoloNet... I get this bad feeling, like whenever you see something disgusting and you want to throw up, except this feels..."

I shook my head and laughed nervously. "I don't know. He doesn't appear like old man to me, or a normal man at least. I guess that I sound pretty ridiculous, huh?"

Luminara frowned and looked at a stain on the wall thoughtfully. "No, you don't." When I motioned for her to continue, she said, "The Council and Palpatine have been having... difficult relations lately. My friend, Shaak Ti, says that he often authorizes missions without their approval and just ignores their disconsent about it."

"But if it's the Jedi that the Republic sends, why doesn't the Council have any say in it?"

Luminara sighed and replied, "I'm not sure. Ever since the Jedi Order joined the Republic, we've had an agreement with the Senate. We would uphold their laws and protect its citizens. But we hold no rank in the Republic hierarchy and unless we are called upon, we will step aside in matters involving the Senate."

"But don't you think that it's a little unfair that the Senate called upon the Order to be Generals in the war?" I asked, taking her glass, refilling it with water, and handing it back to her. "I mean, the Jedi are supposed to be peacekeepers and war isn't exactly peace. In fact, I consider it to be chaos."

She sipped at her drink and said, "I'll admit, I don't agree with the war, but it's our duty to restore the peace."

I laughed without humor and said, "I hate to tell you this Luminara, but fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity. You can't achieve it using the methods you're using."

"Then how do you propose we end the war?" she asked, though her voice was full of bitterness.

I shrugged and stuffed the rest of the roll into my mouth. I swallowed and said, "I don't know. But shooting down droids and pursuing Count Dooku won't do anything. Maybe peace talks?"

"You think that we haven't tried that?" she asked, disbelief evident on her face. "We've set up at least three peace talks with all our leading Senators, but it doesn't solve **_one thing._**We've tried everything to end this war and nothing succeeds! The only thing can do that actually **_works _**is win battles! And sometimes that doesn't even work!"

She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, then sighed and brushed the hair out of her face. I wiped the crumbs off of my mouth and said, "There is **_always _**an alternative to fighting. You know who told me that? **_You _**did, Luminara. And if you can't follow your own advice, then what gives me the initiative to follow it myself?"

And without another word, I exited the kitchen.

**Author's Note: This part of the chapter was basically to expand on Ethan and Luminara communications because Ethan and Barriss are growing closer and what better way to gain some points with the parental figure than have a good long chat about Jadella's old boyfriend and politics. And I'm sorry that this chapter isn't as long as others. This was kind of a filler chapter for things to come. Also, the name of the next chapter will be called "New Leads."**


	6. Chapter 6: New Leads

The Life of a Slave

Chapter 6: New Leads

**Author's Note: Well, thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far and all that so, you know. Here's the new chapter and all that…**

* * *

**_"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you."  
_-Elbert Hubbard**

* * *

"So, what are we doing today?" Barriss asked as we exited the house, ready for another day in 1313. She seemed to be maintaining a perky personality, though I saw bags under her eyes. **_Has she been having trouble sleeping?_**

I shrugged and said, "Well, after yesterday, Kade has insisted that I take a day off, considering I'm his favorite servant. So, I was thinking that I show you around everywhere. You know, let you observe the crime-lords' houses, show you the best viewpoints, and take you to places where you could practice your Jedi stuff without getting caught."

"Viewpoints?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

I looked down at her and replied, "Places where you can view 1313 with little difficulty. There are tons of places around here where you can do so."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah," I responded. I pointed upward and said, "If you haven't noticed yet, 1313 is a city on the ground **_and_** the ceiling." We both looked upward and Barriss' jaw dropped. Above us, there were buildings and lights on the "roof." Speeders and small starcraft could be seen loading and unloading goods onto platforms attached to the upside-down structures.

"Wow. I hadn't noticed that," she mumbled, taking a step back and trying to look at the architectural wonders.

I laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll look at that later. First, let's go visit Yolanda."

* * *

Yolanda was one of my closest friends, right behind Hafiz, and she was a Mirialan like Barriss and Luminara. The difference between her and said Jedi was the fact that she practically broke every rule in the Mirialan book of Tradition. For example, the people of Mirial were pretty religious and practiced a primitive understanding of the Force. But Yolanda had said many times, "Screw those old windbags. I'll practice whatever the kriff I wanna practice!"

And she also refused to wear headdresses, as "They're a pain in the ass!" But the thing I really think set her apart from most Mirialans was the fact that she enjoyed partaking in one-night stands. And as I've already mentioned, the people of Mirial are **_religious._**

So, I don't think that I was surprised when a green-skinned Duros ran out of Yolanda's apartment, only wearing boxers and bawling his eyes out. He pushed past us and ran down the streets. "Yeah, that's right! You better run, you big-headed freak!" a voice shouted.

Barriss and I averted our attention to a female Mirialan, standing in the doorway. She was only wearing a black bra and black panties so her assorted markings and body areas were **_very _**visible to the spectators. I shook my head and said, "Yolanda, at least have the decency to put some clothes on before you chase away your one-night stands!"

She finally noticed me and Barriss and said, "Yeah well, that Duros guy actually had the **_nerve _**to ask me out on a date!"

She entered her house and we followed her. "Oh, no! He sounds just dreadful!" I exclaimed sarcastically, mock gasping.

Yolanda glared at me and sat down on her couch. She lit a Glitterstim stick and said, "What do you want, Ethan? I have a hangover from last night and you **_know _**how I am when I'm hungover!"

"Barriss and I just came to visit you," I replied, gesturing to my friend. Barriss just stood there, eyebrows raised, and taking in her new acquaintance. But hey, if I were a Mirialan, I would've been surprised too.

Yolanda examined her for a moment. Then her eye widened and she stood up abruptly. "Oh no! I am **_not _**going to let this little Jedi bust my Glitterstim-stick-making-business! And I swear on my mother's terrible name if she tries to get me off of Glitterstim, I will **_kill _**myself! I'm a glit-biter and I'm gonna stay that way!"

"What's a glit-biter?" Barriss asked, taking a step back from Yolanda.

"Someone who's addicted to Glitterstim," I replied, raising my hands and trying to calm Yolanda.

"That's right, you Mirialan Jedi! And I'm damn proud of it!" she said, grabbing a blaster and pointing it at Barriss. I snatched it out of her hands sat her down on the couch.

I placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "It's alright, Yolanda! She's here on the slave trade matter, not to bust you for making Glitterstim sticks!"

Yolanda gave a sigh of relief and breathed in the Glitterstim stick. "Good. This is the only income I have and I'm not about to let some goody-two-shoes Jedi ruin it." She leaned back into the couch and blew out smoke. "Oh, **_yeah_**! That's some good glit. Anyway, what can I do to help you two? Need some weapons? Clothes? Condoms? Birth control pills? I've got **_lots _**of those."

Barriss blushed and I laughed nervously. "Just some clothes. Barriss needs to look like a civilian if she wants to avoid suspicion."

Yolanda nodded and said, "Yeah, I'll loan her some clothes. And do you need anymore medical supplies? I watched your last fight with that Twi'Lek and he got you good across the shoulder."

I waved her off and she shrugged, then walked into her room. Barriss elbowed me in ribs and asked, "Why do I need new clothes?"

"No offense Barriss, but you stick out like a sore thumb down here wearing that outfit," I said, giving her a apologetic grin and hoping that she would understand. By the roll of her eyes, I don't think that she did.

Yolanda tossed her a bundle of clothing and said, "I'm pretty sure that what you got there is my least revealing outfit. And I hope that you'll appreciate it, considering the fact that you're probably religious like the rest of the Mirialan population."

Barriss gave her a sheepish smile and we both examined the clothing. It was pretty modest and consisted of a black Corellian jacket with a forest green shirt and black pants with more green running down the sides of them. And to top it off, black combat boots with hidden sheaths for knives. "Thanks..." Barriss trailed off, asking for a name.

"Just Yolanda. Not Ms. Yolanda or any of that formal kriff because I am **_not _**a formal person. Anyway, get outta here, you two. And remember, if you ever need condoms, I'm your Mirialan." Yolanda blew out more smoke and motioned for us to get out.

"Well, **_she's _**a character," Barriss said once we walked out.

I chuckled and replied, "Yeah, but she's a good friend, even if she can be a pain in the sheb at times." I noticed a small cantina and said, "Let's go in here for a minute. You need to change into your new clothes and I need to gather some intel on the killer."

"The killer?"

"You know, the dude that we talked about a few nights ago. The one killing children."

"Oh, yeah." But I noticed that she kept biting her lip when we entered the cantina and I don't think that it was from all the lust-filled stares that men were giving her.

I nudged her before she went in the restroom and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's just that... I've never worn any clothing besides my Jedi robes and Master might not approve," she replied, looking a little embarrassed. But I smiled softly and gave her light pat on the back.

"Don't worry, Barriss. Luminara doesn't have to know. You can just wear that outfit when we're exploring 1313. It'll be our little secret." I gave her a sly grin and the corners of her mouth tilted upwards.

She entered the restroom and I immediately headed to the bar. I sat down and knocked on the counter. "I'll have some Dragonjuice, please." The Twi'Lek bartender nodded and filled up the glass. I leaned over the counter a little and said, "I'm also looking for information."

The female bartender looked around for a moment before setting my drink down next to me. "What kind of information?"

"Lord Omarian's latest exploits with bounty hunters and assassins," I said, downing half of my drink afterwards.

The bartender said, "Be right back," and disappeared behind a door.

"How do I look?" a Coruscanti accent asked from behind me. I turned around and raised my eyebrows because before me was a Barriss I hadn't ever seen before. She was wearing the outfit that Yolanda had given her and it looked **_really _**good on her. It wasn't exactly tight, but it stuck to her skin enough that I could see the outline of her curves. And her dark hair streamed down her back in curls that caught my attention very quickly. She looked like, well, an average person... yet the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

"Um..." I said, trying to tear my eyes away from some of her **_noticeable _**attributes. "You look... normal." I nearly kicked myself as the words spilled out. One thing I had learned from being around Jacinda and Jadella was that you should always tell a girl that she looks good, not "normal." So, as I stared at the hurt look on her face, I held my hands up and stammered, "I mean, you look like a girl, now! No! I'm trying to say that... you look... beautiful! For a Jedi, I guess! No, you... just look... amazing, Barriss."

But that statement only managed to make her blush and she looked down at the ground in embarrassment. I opened my mouth to apologize for my behavior, but the bartender came back and plopped a datapad on the table. "This what you're looking for?"

I turned around and picked up the datapad. I scrolled through the contents and sure enough, it was a record of Omarian's latest exploits and deposits. "Yes, ma'am. How much?"

"Three hundred."

I coughed and asked, "What kind of kriff are you trying to pull?"

The bartender glared at me and said, "This isn't kriff. Lately, it's been getting more and more difficult to get this kind of intel! Three hundred or you can get the hell out!"

Knowing that I didn't have another choice, I got out my small fortune of credits and placed them on the table. The bartender raised her eyes and said, "I wasn't aware that slaves had this kind of money."

"My father gave it to me before we arrived in 1313."

The Twi'Lek gathered up the money and didn't respond. I got up from my bar stool and Barriss, who seemed to have recovered from my previous comments, asked, "What's that?"

"King Omarian's credit balances."

* * *

We sat in silence at the arena with Hafiz until I groaned and slammed the datapad on the durasteel seats. "This is getting us nowhere!" I placed my head in my calloused hands.

Hafiz gave me his signature grin and patted me on the back. "Don't worry, man. We'll find out something." But the uncertainty in his voice made me see through his ruse. He didn't know whether or not we would discover the killer.

"Maybe deposits on poisons or weapons wouldn't be located in these records," Barriss chimed in, staring straight ahead with her arms crossed over her chest. She wouldn't meet my gaze when I looked over at her.

"We don't even know that Omarian is doing this."

She finally met my eyes, but it was with a glare. "Then why did you buy the records?" she shot at me.

Normally it wouldn't hurt me when someone was mad at me, but I almost flinched when Barriss used that tone with me. It had been an awkward walk to the arena, but I hadn't expected her to be angry. Well maybe a little angry, but not to this degree. "You PMS or something?" Hafiz asked, nonchalantly picking at a scab on his arm.**_  
_**

"Koochoo," Barriss said, rolling her eyes and letting her scowl deepen. I looked at her with concern and opened my mouth to say something, but in the end, I held back. **_Better to let her vent off some steam._**

Hafiz smiled and replied, "I've been called worse, pateesa."

He probably couldn't hear it, but a small growl erupted from the back of Barriss' throat. I stood up and brushed off my pants. "Well, we won't get any information just sitting here like Hutts." I waved them up. "Come on. We're going to the Loca Sector."

"Why is it called the Loca Sector?" Barriss asked in a less strained voice than before. Now it held uncertainty and a dash of fear.

Hafiz smirked at her and replied, "Because you have to be mentally incapacitated to ever go there." Or in our case, looking for answers.

* * *

"I can see why it's called the Loca District," Barriss said, eyebrows raised and expression displaying disgust. Around us, bounty hunters and assassins were roaming the streets, shooting glares at Hafiz and I and a few lustful glances at Barriss. Most of the lust was coming from men- **_most of it_**.

Homeless sentients and stranded tourists could be seen at trash cans, trying to light the garbage on fire. Many of the durasteel and duracrete walls were covered in graffiti that said things like "Abandon all hope ye who enter" or "Death starts here." They were probably written as jokes by young teens, but the phrases couldn't have been any truer.

You could hear the strangled cries of children and women as the gangs made their rounds around the neighborhood. I saw Barriss take a few steps toward me and I chuckled. "Scared, Jedi?"

She gave a nervous laugh and shook her head. "I'm just preparing to push you down so they won't go for me when we have to run."

Hafiz grinned and nodded. "I'm with ya, sister! Give 'em the gladiator and take off!" He elbowed me in the ribs and whispered, "This one is starting to grow on me. Can we keep her?"

Normally, I would've laughed at such an absurd proposition, but my blood warmed at the though of Barriss staying down here with us. Just imagining the times that the three of us could have together sent sparks of happiness and joy throughout my body. **_Forget sparks! More like lightning bolts!_**

"Where should we start?" said Jedi asked, scanning the area with keen eyes. I looked around as well, yet frowned when I saw that most of the cantinas were filled with tattoo-covered thugs and scarred-over mercenaries. I figured that bringing Barriss in there would result in either a large scale fight or a gang rape.

Neither sounded ideal so I replied, "We'll have to go deeper into the sector. And, just out of curiosity, did you bring your lightsaber with you, Barriss?"

She shook her head, eyes trained on the cantina I had been staring at. "Master said it would attract too much attention. But now, I think it might have been more helpful if I had something to let the locals know that I was dangerous."

We started walking down the street, but Hafiz said, "I thought that a lightsaber was meant to show peace, not violence." His tone was placid.

"It also means that if you attack me, I'll kick your sheb," she said jokingly. We laughed and she added, "Just kidding. The lightsaber was originally created to be a weapon for Jedi, peacekeepers, but it later became known as the unofficial symbol of the Order." The corners of her mouth tilted upwards. Though I saw nothing funny or happy about the statement, I was elated to see that she had gotten over her anger about my stuttering at the tavern earlier.

_**Really and truly, she doesn't have anything to mad about in the first place. I was just surprised, that's all!** _

I spotted a small bar to our right and raised my eyebrows. It looked to be a casual kind of place, with only a few people in it. I heard the soft symphony of music coming from the establishment and was delighted to see that it had a lack of graffiti along its walls. It looked like a normal place for people to talk, laugh and pry for information.

I nudged Hafiz and motioned to the small bar. He raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Good choice, Ethan. In fact, I think it looks too nice to be in 1313."

"At least it has a shortage of bounty hunters," Barriss pointed out, smirking a little. Hafiz chuckled and we walked into the establishment. I looked around and saw that the bartender was a human male with half of his face scarred over. A female Togruta went around serving drinks to the few people sitting at tables and booths.

But the thing that captured my attention the most was Yolanda sitting in a booth with a burly, red-haired Morellian.

In case you didn't know, Morellians were Near-Humans that were very closely related to humans. The only distinctions were that almost all Morellians had red hair and their average lifespan was one-hundred sixty years.

Anyway, Yolanda and him seemed to be deep in conversation. Hafiz scowled and said, "Who's the scum talking to Yolanda?"

I rolled my eyes and replied, "I don't know, but he looks kind of familiar to me." And it was true. There was a familiar smirk on his face and I heard the heavily-accented Morellian voice. "Let's find out."

Hafiz took point and Barriss shot me a questioning look. I shrugged, surprised too at Hafiz's behavior, yet we followed the younger Nautolan. He stalked over to the table and leaned on it with both his hands. He forced a smile at Yolanda and said, "Hey, Yolanda. What're you doing here?"

Yolanda eyed him disdainfully. "Getting a drink." Her tone couldn't have sounded sounded more pissed off.

"And might I inquire who this sleemo is?" Hafiz pressed, his smile becoming more of a sneer. Without Yolanda answering his first question, he added, "It's a little bit too early to be whoring around, right?"

She glared at him. "Yeah and it's a little bit too early to be killing Nautolans, but that's exactly what I'm gonna be doing if you don't get the hell out of my face!"

Barriss stifled a laugh with her hand. It didn't go unnoticed by the older Mirialan because she turned on Barriss and said, "I ain't afraid to kill a Mirialan either! Keep that in mind, Offee, when you're around me."

The Morellian smiled and said, "Mmm. Fiesty. I like that."

Yolanda's mouth turned upward in a half smile. "We'll have more time for that later. Anyway, these are the idiots I was telling you about. Ethan Dabria and Hafiz Remvan. The other one's Barriss Offee, but unlike them, she has common sense. Well... maybe. I only met her this morning."

The Morellian smirked up at me and said, "Well, I never thought that I would see **_you_** again, Ethan!"

Suddenly, I was hit with a punch to the face. I tumbled backwards into a table and crashed into the ground. The music stopped playing and the bartender glared at the Morellian. The latter said, "Sorry 'bout that! Just had to settle some unfinished business with the lad!"

The music resumed and a hand pulled me to my feet. The man smirked at me and said, "That's for abandoning me in that fight club, Dabria!"

My eyes widened and I exclaimed, "Polca! Angus Polca!"

He tilted his head back and let out a guffaw. "I thought that you would never recognize me, mate!"

Angus Polca was the most slimy, no-good, lying, backstabbing, conceited man in the galaxy and I loved him like a brother for it. He was an inch taller than me and maybe twenty pounds heavier. But it was all muscle, no fat. Anyway, we had met five years back, a few weeks after the Days of Ash. His master had been in Beggar's Row when assassins torched the place so Angus gained his freedom and stayed 1313 as a regular attender of the local fight club. Together, we were the greatest tag team that ever roamed the streets of Peedunkey Lane.

Barriss scowled at Angus and said, "I take it you two know each other?"

I smiled down at her. "Of course! He's practically family!"

"Practically?" Angus said, wrapping an arm around me. "If I recall, we share the same great-grandfather, cousin!"

We laughed and he sat down in the booth next to Yolanda. Barriss and I sat across from them while Hafiz muttered something about getting a drink. He sat down at the bar and Yolanda rolled her eyes. "What's up his ass?"

I shook my head in disbelief and said, "He had a rough day yesterday. Give 'em a break." I looked at Angus and said, "So what brings you back to 1313?"

He shrugged. "Needed money. Being a smuggler doesn't always bring in food. Anyway, I heard about some employer needing a man to take care of some unwanted distractions so here I am. Besides, I'm gettin' more money than I did fighting with your sorry sheb!"

He guffawed again and I laughed too. "Yeah, how'd you get outta that place anyway?"

Angus smiled mischievously and looked at the Mirialan women. "Better listen up, lasses! You won't get the chance to hear a story like this again!"

Barriss leaned forward in the booth, while Yolanda tried to look partially interested. But I could tell that she was excited about hearing this. Angus started, "So one morning, Ethan and I entered the fight club, ready to knock some skulls together when the gladiator thought it would be okay to hit on a girl of one of the brutes. When the brute saw what was goin' on, he ordered the rest of the blokes to attack us! But Dabria here decided that he would chicken out and he ran like a wampa rat goin' after week old bread! But not me! So in a matter of seconds, I had beaten all thirty-six of the di'kuts!"

I tilted my head back and laughed. "That has to be the biggest lie I've ever heard!" I looked at the Mirialans and said, "What really happened is that Angus walked in there drunk and demanded that one of them give him some head, whether they were straight or gay. The men got pissed off and almost beat us to death, but Angus told me to run. I got out and apparently, this idiot did too! And there was only ten of them, not three dozen!"

Angus smirked and said, "Yeah well, every story's exaggerated a little, right?"

His comlink went off and he added, "This'll only take a moment."

He got out of the booth and Yolanda's eyes followed his every movement. "Found yourself a boyfriend, Yolanda?" I asked, smirking a little. "Can't say that I'm happy about it being my cousin, but hey, if you want to get 'em in bed with you, that's your choice!"

She rolled her eyes. "If you're implying that he'll only be a one night stand then you're wrong! I plan to keep him around for a while, actually." She gave Angus a once-over again.

"Uh oh!" I exclaimed, mock-gasping and placing a hand on my chest. "Is Yolanda planning to settle down? Call the wedding planner, Barriss!" Looking down at Yolanda's stomach, I jokingly added, "I can already see the baby-bump!"

Barriss giggled and the other girl growled at me. "I'm not marrying him now! But... maybe in the future, if it works out. Besides, he's **_hot_**! Have you seen the muscle definition in his arms?"

She added, "And I'm **_really_** interested in seeing how big he is!"

I made a face of disgust, while Barriss, not understanding the innuendo, replied, "Well, he's obviously large."

Yolanda shook her face and sighed. "I know that he has tons of muscle, Jedi! I'm talking about the size of his dick!"

Barriss blushed and looked down at the table. I smiled softly at her reaction and noticed that the collar of her shirt had come down. Cleavage could be easily seen and I raised my eyebrows.

_**I never thought that a Jedi could have breasts like this!**_

Angus came back and said with a grimace, "Sorry, but I've got to go." He shook my hand and said, "See you around, Dabria." And to Yolanda, he gave a slip of paper. "My com frequency," he said with a wink.

The older Morellian made his way around the tables and, before exiting, threw the bartender a small bag of credits. "Sorry 'bout the mess, mate."

Hafiz finally slid into the booth and said, "I thought he would never leave! So, what're we doing now?"

I shrugged. "I thought that we would come here for information, but something tells me that we should be getting back to our own places." I leaned out of the booth to look out the window. Two bounty hunters, a female Twi'Lek and male Teevan, glared at me.

"I agree with Ethan," Barriss, having been silent for most of the time. "Something doesn't feel right."

Hafiz glanced at Yolanda and said, "You comin' with, 'Landa?"

She shrugged. "Let me pay the bartender and we'll get outta here. I'm thinking about getting an early start on Glitterstim sales today." After paying the bartender, we exited the establishment and Hafiz got down to business.

"By the way, I've got some good news. Apparently, the waitress knew a little about the killer and so we sat down and talked. The guy- or girl- who's doing this has been making a lot of kills around this place lately. When the killer murdered the latest victim, however, they found traces of Alderanian wine near the scene."

"So, he was drinking on the job?" Yolanda asked, not impressed by Hafiz's intel.

Hafiz glared at her. "No. It means that someone gave him the wine and he probably spilled it. The point is Alderanian wine is very rare in 1313 and only slavers can afford it. And natives of Alderaan fancy the wine themselves."

"So, does that mean that the killer is working for an Alderanian crime-lord?" Barriss asked.

Hafiz and I smiled at her brightness, while Yolanda raised an eyebrow. "Precisely," Hafiz replied, looking away from her, though he still had a smile on his face.

Suddenly, pain exploded behind my eyes and I collapsed to my knees. I gasped for breath and started choking on my spit. "Ethan!" Barriss cried, her voice several octaves high. Hafiz and Yolanda exchanged a quick glance and knelt beside me.

I grasped my head and managed to choke out, "Killer."

I lifted a strangled hand and pointed to the armor-clad man on the roof of an apartment building. Barriss yelled, "Scatter!" as a thermal detonator made its way toward us. Barriss and Yolanda placed both of my arms around their necks and barely managed to get out of the blast radius when the explosive went off.

They placed me behind a wall and I could hear many sentients screaming as Yolanda yelled at Barriss, "Who the hell is firing at us?!"

"I don't know!" Barriss replied, covering her ears as another detonator sounded.

But I could hardly make out what was happening because of the pain in my head. It felt like Besalisk was using my head as a punching bag and a clone using it for target practice. I groaned in pain and managed to say, "The killer," once again.

Hafiz came rushing into the alley that we had taken refuge in and said to me, "Here ya go, buddy." He injected a shot into my arm and I was immediately met with a bright light.

All of the pain went away in a flash and my vision cleared. I pushed myself off the ground and asked, "What was that stuff, Hafiz?"

"Meds for your headaches!" he shouted, looking around the corner. He ducked back into the alley when a blaster bolt almost got him in the head. "I decided to get you some painkillers for those migraines of yours!"

He added with a wicked grin, "I expect to get paid back."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "We need to find a way outta here."

Yolanda scoffed. "Well, duh! But if we try to make a break for it, he'll gun us down! Someone needs to cause a distraction!" Her gaze drifted to Barriss and I knew what she was thinking. Barriss had years of training to prepare for this so she would be the best candidate.

**_And if she got shot, Yolanda would grieve less about her than us if we caused the distraction._**

I shook my head and said, "When I get his attention, you three will run all the way back to Yolanda's place, got it?"

Hafiz replied, "Oh no, gladiator! We are **_not _**going to let you die! Think about your family! What would they do without you, man? Barriss needs you too! How else is she gonna free us from this hell-hole?"

I scowled at him. "At least I'd die trying bring down the tyranny of the crime-lords!" Before any of them could stop me, I had rushed out into the street. I waved my arms at the killer to get his attention.

"Hey, sleemo!" I screamed at him. "Kiss my ass!" I shot him the finger and dove behind a trashcan when he shot at me. **_Well, you've got his attention, Dabria! Now what?_**

I looked over at the alley and to my relief, saw that my friends had left. **_At least they made it out..._**

"So, what's the plan of attack?" a voice asked from my side. I looked over and saw that Barriss had somehow managed to evade the constant blaster fire and make her way over here. She had her sheathed lightsaber in her right hand and her eyes never left the killer.

I gaped at her. "I told you to get out of here!"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. "Like I would run away!"

"What if someone discovers that you're a Jedi?"

She glanced at me and from the look in her eye, I knew what she was going to do. She would protect the people of 1313. "I'll cause the distraction while you climb up the building and take him down." Not looking away from me, she added, "Don't kill him."

Before she got up, I handed her my blaster pistol. "It's an S-5 heavy blaster pistol with modified ammunition and a grappling hook. It was produced by Theed Arms for Royal Security Forces." She raised her eyebrows. "A vendor stole it off of Naboo security forces and I stole it off of him."

She examined the gun then ran out into the open, firing several shots at the armor-clad man. I took one last meaningful glance at her figure before running down the side road leading towards the killer's vantage point. With my legs burning, I inhaled the scent of burning flesh and realized that the killer had turned on me.

"Ethan!" Barriss cried and fired at the man with a fierce growl.

The shot went straight through the man's shoulder and he tumbled off the roof with an audible "crash."

But I was hardly able to register that thought as I collapsed onto my knees. Cradling my rib-cage, I recognized the burn of a blaster shot. **_Why does all the bad stuff have to happen to me?_**

Hands were placed on my abdomen and a velvet voice desperately said, "Please tell me you're alright." I took deep breaths and sighed in relief as I realized that it was only a flesh wound.

"I've suffered worse, Barriss," I replied, taking a deep breath and looking into her azure eyes. Concern, and maybe a little anger, was apparent as she observed my wound. I drew in a sharp as she grazed her fingers over the burnt flesh. I stood up abruptly and immediately wished that I hadn't. Black spots danced across my eyes and Barriss steadied me.

"Ethan, if you're injured-" she started, but I waved her off.

I set off at a fast-paced walk and said, "We need to focus on getting to the killer before he..."

Trailing off, I arrived at the scene of the crime. I gaped and blinked a few times. Barriss raised her eyebrows and said, "I thought that I knocked him out with that blaster shot."

"Me too."

She walked over to a crushed waste container and rummaged through its contents. "He fell here. I'd say that he weighed about two hundred pounds and was a hair-growing species." I was about to ask about the last comment when she held up a small black object. "He dropped his comb. Sadly, he cleaned all the hair out of it so we won't be able to check for DNA."

A flash of silver and a shrill beep caught my attention and I hobbled towards the noise. I finally located the source and picked up the small object. It was a comlink. I ran my finger over the activation switch and an image of a tall, yet heavy-set male Human appeared. He said, "Kill the Mirialans and the Nautolan."

The message repeated and I realized that it was a recording. I switched it off and clenched my fists. Someone had tried to kill my friends. A surge of anger spread throughout my body and I drew in a ragged breath.

"Ethan?"

I turned my head to the left and saw Barriss, eyebrows raised. I shoved the comlink into my pocket and said, "We need to get back to Jadella."

"I think that we should have our facts straight before we tell her anything," Barriss responded, laughing nervously. We fell into step and she said, "First of all, I think that the killer had more people working with him than just one. There was blaster fire from other alleys and buildings."

Remembering the bounty hunters that had been glaring at me earlier, I nodded. "Definitely right about that. Secondly, he wants you, Yolanda, and Hafiz dead."

"Does he know that I'm a Jedi?"

"I don't think so. He would've brought more firepower if he knew about your abilities." I stroked my chin thoughtfully. "But as to why he, or his associate, wanted the three of you dead still remains unknown."

A few moments of silence passed. "Maybe it has something to do with you." Barriss looked expectantly at me for an answer.

The thought **_had_**passed my mind, but I never would've thought that a crime-lord would try to piss me off. The people of 1313 knew damn well that when you messed with me, you messed with Kade. When you mess with Kade, you don't come out alive, crime-lord or not. "I doubt that they would try to cross that line, Barriss."

But doubt lingered in my mind as we walked back to Beggar's Row.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait. Writer's block and all that... Anyway, if you have any questions about what some of these words or phrases mean, just hit me up in a review. See ya later...**


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